


The Rival Houses

by Aria_Breuer



Series: The Hobbit Wizards [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Sorting (Harry Potter), Book 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Bullying, Crossover, Diagon Alley First Year, Drama, Family, Friendship, Gen, Height Differences, Hogwarts First Year, Humor, Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters First Year, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Pre-War of the Ring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-21
Updated: 2015-09-21
Packaged: 2018-04-22 18:21:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 51
Words: 131,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4845620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria_Breuer/pseuds/Aria_Breuer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Growing up, the hobbit Frodo Baggins didn't think he had any magical abilities. Then one day, his parents, Drogo and Primula Baggins, tell him that he is a wizard - a <i>hobbit</i> wizard to be precise. Frodo, deciding to play the greatest prank he ever concocted, feigns that he doesn't want to go to Hogwarts, and yet he does.</p>
<p>At Hogwarts, never imagining that he would be sorted into one of the four houses at the wizardry school, now has to face Lotho Sackville-Baggins, his rival since the Shire. Teaming up with the best pranksters in the school, Fred and George Weasley, Frodo is in for an interesting year. And it's not over, what with Professor Snape going to the Forbidden Corridor almost every night. Now teamed up with Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and his authoress, Frodo has more on his hands than just passing classes.</p>
<p>An alternate universe of <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> and <i>Harry Potter</i>, set in Pre-War of the Ring era and during "The Philosopher's | Sorcerer's Stone". This is a crossover series in the making.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Acceptance Letter

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: the first six chapters involve a lot of telling as part of the writing, rather than showing. That will change starting with the seventh chapter.
> 
> All credit for this series' idea goes to TooLazyToLogIn, who wrote a review to DoctorWhovian18 over on Fanfiction.net giving the idea that hobbits should have magical abilities.

 

Frodo Baggins was eleven when this all first started. Actually, he was quite small when the small occurrences started. They weren’t much, but they still startled him:

First, the bread changed from being perfect to becoming dry in a couple of seconds… and it was two loaves of bread! Second, some of the windows shattered when he walked, and that jolted him into a fright. Third, the flowers bloomed in quick procession. Now, one would think that flowers blooming quickly is normal, but what made that day odd – when Frodo was five – was the flowers bloomed rapidly in a couple of seconds, startling him when he touched them. And fourth, whenever he touched a stick or a twig, it hovered on the spot. All these strange occurrences would make any child scared they did something wrong, and Frodo was in the right spot to assume something was wrong with him.

Frodo, looking like the average hobbit with thick curly brown hair on his head and the tops of his feet, had something unique about him: his bright blue eyes. Most hobbits had brown eyes, but not Frodo. One would suppose his perkiness was a part of the brightness of his eyes, but Frodo did not mind this. He had a cleft in his chin, while his features remained fairer than most children. Some hobbits were reminded of Elves the moment they saw Frodo. Years later, he would be taller than the average hobbit, but for now, being eleven years old, Frodo was a runt, which meant he was fairly short for a hobbit boy.

It was the beginning of August of that year when Frodo’s parents, Drogo and Primula Baggins, brought Frodo into the dining room of their hobbit-house. Hobbit-houses were dwellings dug under hills and sometimes above ground, which became homes for hobbits to dwell in. Those that don’t know what hobbits are will find they have the namesake also of Halfling. But continuing the story: when Frodo was settled in a chair, he waited for his parents to say something. That was when his mother presented him a parchment envelope addressed to him.

Frodo asked his parents, “What is this?”

“Open it, son,” said Drogo, giving a knowing look.

Frodo was confused. Nonetheless, he opened the envelope. Inside the envelope, which had a red seal with an H and four badges stamped on it, was an acceptance letter and an unusual list of supplies. While he was relieved his mother had spent time letting him learn his letters, Frodo read the acceptance letter aloud, for all to hear:

“Dear Mr. Baggins, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,” said Frodo, more confused now than ever. He tore his eyes away from the letter, thinking it rubbish. “What is this?”

Primula looked at Drogo for support, but then knew she had to tell him something. “Frodo, my darling, there’s something we haven’t told you. The letter is real. Hogwarts is a real place and no, you are not crazy. We know you’ve been doing things that most hobbits wouldn’t condone.”

Drogo added, telling Frodo direct, “What your mother is trying to say is that you have magical abilities. Your mother and I share the same abilities, but we’ve never told anyone. Perhaps it’s for the best.”

Frodo asked, confused but understanding, “You mean I’m a wizard. I thought Gandalf was the only wizard around.”

“Yes, but some hobbits have that ability, too. Listen, I know this is difficult for you to understand. Your father and I have already sent the owl, which gave us this letter, a letter telling those at Hogwarts that you will be attending. There’s just one more thing you should know,” said Primula.

“Because the Wizardry World runs on a different time as ours, we’re able to transform into the Big Folk there. Whenever we return here, we’re hobbits. The transformation’s fast and you won’t feel it, yet we still retain the qualities that makes us hobbits: such as our hairy feet, curly hair, the shade in our eyes, and pointy ears,” said Drogo.

Primula added, returning to what she said, “The letter said to send a reply by July 31st and so we did. We received it sometime beforehand.”

“And you didn’t tell me?” asked Frodo, serious.

“We wanted it to be a surprise,” said Drogo.

Frodo fell silent. He was in a state of befuddlement. So, he was a wizard… a hobbit wizard, no doubt. Why didn’t he see this one coming? Well, it was fairly obvious given the little stunts he pulled when he was younger. Yet, he was furious with his parents for keeping this a secret from him up until now. He got that they didn’t want to make him special, which explained why he was treated like any other hobbit child, but this…

Drogo interrupted his son’s train of thought. “Well, we don’t want to waste too much time talking. We should head to Diagon Alley.”

“What’s that?” asked Frodo, now more confused… again.

“Yes, your father and I keep a vault there. Because we aren’t from the Wizardry World, they grant us a monthly allowance. We hardly use the money there, so it has accumulated over the years,” said Primula.

Frodo nodded. This was all over his head. “And how exactly do we get to this… Diagon Alley?”

Drogo stood up and took Frodo’s hand. Not wanting to lose the letter or the list of school supplies – Frodo did not know what school meant at this point – Frodo took the parchment papers, folded them up, and placed them back inside the envelope, before following his father. Drogo now showed him the closed front yellow door, which now had a gold bell attached in the very center of the door.

As Frodo stared at the gold bell, Drogo pointed at it and said, “You see the bell? This was placed on our door by a wizard from the Wizardry World when we moved in. Whenever one of us rings the bell, and thinks of where we want to go – we all want to go to Diagon Alley – the door will reveal the location to us and we can simply walk through.”

Primula took Frodo’s other hand, causing Frodo to look up at her. Understanding the rules, Frodo shut his eyes tight as Drogo rang the bell. When Frodo opened his eyes, he saw Drogo open the hobbit door to reveal a stone alleyway and a tall, seemingly wobbly building before them. Drogo let go of Frodo’s hand and led the way, with Primula taking Frodo’s hand and leading him out of their hobbit house. When they were through, Drogo closed the door, which looked like a brown wooden round door with a gold bell in the centermost part of the wood surface.

Drogo looked on for a moment, before gazing back at Frodo and telling him in plain amusement, “Welcome to Diagon Alley, Frodo!”


	2. A Trip to Diagon Alley

As Frodo and his parents drew closer to the very tall, wobbly building, Frodo could now see it was snowy-white and made of marble, with the title on the front saying **GRINGOTTS**. _This must be the wizard bank my parents spoke of_ , thought Frodo. And, for the most part, his gut was right.

Drogo gestured with a hand towards the two tall entrance doors. It was here that Frodo realized he and his parents looked like every other Big Folk around – by Big Folk, I mean people like us, but hobbits call us Big Folk – the alley. Frodo noticed this most when he passed by a wizard boy, which shocked him beyond belief, if only for a moment.

Entering the wizard bank, and passing by a creature stood watch of the bronze doors, Frodo looked on as his mother protectively kept an eye on him. Frodo waited until his mother let go of his hand for him to look around. He could see at the tops of the tall wooden desks there were several creatures with pointy ears, pointier than his, counting coins. Frodo, knowing it wise to not ask too many questions, decided to ask his mother when he caught up to her:

“Eh Ma, can I ask what kind of creatures they are?” asked Frodo, whispering a little loud.

“They’re goblins. True, we have goblins in Middle-earth, but these are more sophisticated, what with them wearing waistcoats and such. They’re not very friendly. Mind your manners here and keep close to me. We’re almost to the front desk,” said Primula. Frodo did as he was told and inched closer to her.

Upon approaching the front desk, Drogo spoke to the goblin bank teller. This particular goblin was an elderly sort, with silver-white hair. After handing to the goblin his small gold key, the goblin bank teller allowed a goblin with black hair named Griphook lead the three hobbits – Man, Woman, and their son – to another set of doors. These doors opened to the cavern like passageways, leading to the many hundreds of vaults underground.

Finding one of the carts, Drogo sat in one seat, with Primula and Frodo seated in another. While his parents were familiar with the carts, having no fear of them, Frodo became curious about how they operated. He asked Griphook, before he started the cart:

“What are these carts run on?” asked Frodo, curious.

“By magic, Mr. Baggins,” said Griphook. He started the cart without saying another word.

Frodo watched the passageways of the many vaults flash by him in a great hurry. At one point, he held onto his mother, who wrapped an arm around him for protection. Then the cart stopped. Frodo hesitantly released his mother.

Griphook told the family, “Vault 514.” He stepped out of the cart and asked for the lantern, which Drogo gave to him. As Griphook and the Baggins family stepped out of the cart, Drogo handed to Griphook their gold key, which Griphook used to open the large vault door.

When the door stopped moving outwards, Frodo looked in shock: there were piles upon piles of coins that had three different colors. It was more money than Frodo had seen, perhaps more than he could ever use. Drogo and Primula looked at Frodo, before leading him into the vault. Drogo pulled out a bag, which he handed to Frodo.

Drogo told him how the coins worked around the Wizardry World. “Right, so the gold ones are called Galleons. The silver coins are Sickles, and seventeen Sickles equals one Galleon. The bronze ones are Knuts, and twenty-nine Knuts equal a Sickle…” He saw Frodo counting in his head. Quietly, he clasped Frodo’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, son. You’ll catch on. We’ll buy you one of those coin guides at Flourish and Blotts bookshop.” After Frodo and Drogo piled enough Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts in the bag, Drogo told him, “There. That should be enough. We can leave the rest here until you need more money to spend.”

“Yes Papa,” said Frodo, following his father out of the vault. His mother was waiting for them on the other side.

Once Frodo closed his bag of money, he stepped inside the cart first, with Primula seating next to him and Drogo in the other seat. Griphook started the cart again and they took off, back to the entrance.

o-o-o

Flourish and Blotts was fairly packed with students and their parents, who were also searching for the required textbooks. Frodo wandered with his parents through the shop, as Drogo asked a witch bookkeeper where Frodo’s books were. Pulling out his list, Frodo told the bookkeeper which books he needed. Once he had his books, plus the coin guide that his father wanted to get for him, along with an introductory book that Frodo needed for a twelve-week course that year, Frodo paid for the books at the front desk using his galleons. On his way out of the bookshop, Frodo’s gaze fell on a sandy-haired hobbit boy who was with his hobbit parents. Frodo was eager to get the boy’s attention, but Primula got his attention. Frodo left the bookshop before he could talk to the hobbit boy.

As they went from shop to shop, gathering the needed supplies for Frodo’s school year, Drogo and Primula led Frodo into the shop titled Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions. Frodo was wary about going into this shop, since he figured he would keep his hobbit attire, instead of looking like a wizard. Still, they entered the shop and were met by an elderly witch with white hair, pale skin, and wearing a pink dress. As soon as Drogo and Primula told the woman they were looking to buy robes for Frodo, Frodo handed to her his list. When Madam Malkin looked it over, she knew just what to do for the Hobbit.

After Drogo and Primula left the shop for a bit, leaving Frodo to Madam Malkin for fittings, Frodo saw two hobbit boys, one with brown hair and the other almost golden, being fitted from a further distance. The boy next to him was rather stout-looking and had blonde hair. Frodo felt relieved he could wear Hobbit attire.

“Get out much?” asked the boy.

“Sorry?” asked Frodo, confused.

“I’ve never seen a hobbit up close and now there’s a whole pack of them right here in this shop,” said the boy. “I’m Ernie, by the way. Ernie Macmillan.”

“Frodo,” said Frodo. “So, you know hobbits heading to Hogwarts?”

Ernie shook his head. “No. I heard from my parents that hobbits only come to Hogwarts once a decade and then stay for seven – eight years, before leaving the Wizardry World for their homes. I never imagined there’d be hobbits attending Hogwarts in my lifetime.”

“I see,” said Frodo.

“I rather say, having hobbits around is a bit refreshing. We get to learn their customs and everything. I hear there’s some pure-bloods amongst hobbits,” said Ernie.

“What’s a pure-blood?” asked Frodo.

Ernie whispered. “Someone who has magical parents. Those that don’t are Muggle born.”

“What’s a Muggle?” asked Frodo.

“Non-magical people,” said Ernie.

Before Frodo had the chance to ask further, Madam Malkin told him, “There. You’re done.”

Ernie told Frodo, “I’ll see you at Hogwarts.”

“Yea,” said Frodo, waving to him. Once he had his uniform, which was mostly black and grey, Frodo paid galleons to Madam Malkin and left the shop. He found his parents waiting for him outside with his books and school supplies.

As they walked down the alley’s street, Drogo and Primula stopped Frodo before a wand shop called Ollivanders. Promptly, Drogo and Primula led Frodo into the shop, where they were greeted by an elderly wizard. Frodo guessed this was Ollivander. Ollivander looked pleased to see the Baggins family. However, Frodo was surprised how the shop wasn’t crowded with students, like the other shops were.

“I remember you two well. Drogo and Primula Baggins, is it? This must be your son,” said Ollivander, looking cheerful at Frodo.

“Yes, Frodo’s here to buy a wand,” said Drogo, looking with anticipation at his son.

Frodo looked around until Ollivander gestured him towards the front desk. When Frodo approached the front desk, Ollivander pulled out a measuring tape. He asked the lad, “What is your wand arm? You’re writing arm?”

“Oh,” said Frodo, understanding. “I’m right-handed.”

“Hold out your arm,” said Ollivander. He was amazed at how well the hobbit boy followed orders.

After making the correct measurements, Ollivander put his tape measure away, which to Frodo’s surprised had measured him on his own, Ollivander told him about wand lore and how the wand chooses the wizard. In a flash, Frodo was handed a wand and swished it around until Ollivander took it away from him and handed him another wand. After the pile started rising, Ollivander handed to Frodo a wand that felt right to the hobbit boy, for he felt a warmth in his hand the moment he held the wand.

Ollivander told him about the wand, “Vine and unicorn hair, seven inches, nice and supple. It seems you were a match for this wand, and wands don’t lie, Mr. Baggins. That’ll be seven gold Galleons.”

Frodo paid for the wand and left the shop with his parents. The last stop they made was at Eeylops Owl Emporium. Even though one wouldn’t have guessed it, Frodo had certain affection towards animals. It was there his parents bought for him a brown owl, which Frodo picked out himself. It had been a surreal day for Frodo, but he knew it was only the beginning. His parents brought him to a restaurant somewhere in Diagon Alley, where they ate a good meal. Frodo kept eyeing the wizards, witches, and hobbits. It seemed everybody was the same heights around here, even though they were all different heights. He looked back at his parents, who were deep in a conversation. While he wasn’t used to feeling alone, this was the most alone time he felt so far.

On the way back to the brown hobbit door, thoughts crossed Frodo’s mind. Why had he not heard of this place before? Who were all these people? He only remembered one boy, Ernie Macmillan, but that was all he could remember. The last thing he heard from his father, as they re-entered their home, with Frodo’s spending money still inside the bag or what remained of it, was “Your train will leave on September 1st at 11 o’ clock. We’ll head there around 9 or 10 o’ clock in the morning. Don’t worry, son. We’ll be using our front door to get us there, just like we did today.” He closed the door behind him. Frodo was amazed at how the Shire quickly flooded back into all the windows.

Frodo told his dad then, “Yea and Papa, this had better not be some experience where I’m alone all the time. You are going to be there.”

Primula told Frodo, admitting, “Darling, your father and I aren’t going to be with you when you go to Hogwarts. It’s for the year, but you’ll have to learn to do things on your own.”

“But this doesn’t make sense. You’re family, and family sticks together. I thought you would be teaching me…” Frodo stammered, but he stopped when his father was eye level with him.

“Now son, your mother and I won’t always be there for you. You have to understand that. It is part of growing up,” said Drogo.

“It doesn’t have to be this way. You can tell the… school that I’m not going,” said Frodo.

“You are going,” said Drogo, keeping his voice firm. The brown owl hooted in alert. Drogo looked his son in the eyes and told him, “Look, I know you don’t like it, but you have to adjust.”

“This is not what families do. Family doesn’t abandon one another,” said Frodo.

Drogo sighed behind his teeth. “It can’t be helped. Now, you’re going and there’ll be no more discussion.”

“But we’re family, papa. I thought…”

“No more discussion,” said Drogo. He left the room, but not before taking Frodo’s books into his bedroom. Primula helped carry Frodo’s supplies and wand after Drogo, while Frodo took care bringing his brown owl, asleep in the cage, with him. Once the task was done, Drogo and Primula left Frodo alone in his room.

Frodo turned to his brown owl, which was still asleep, and said softly, “Looks like you’re my company now. I’m a wizard? It’s unbelievable. And my parents not going with me… what am I to do?” The brown owl hooted in her sleep. “Me neither.” He looked at the wall as he sat down on the bed. Somehow, it didn’t sink in that his parents weren’t going with him to Hogwarts, yet he knew it was coming either way. He couldn’t change his parents’ minds. But what did he really know about Hogwarts? Not much, he figured, and that was about it of the subject.


	3. The Journey to Hogwarts

The next morning, Primula woke up Frodo, who was almost awake anyway. Frodo looked up, alert, to see his father. Yesterday’s activities gave Frodo a mixture of emotions, but the one that struck him hard was to see his father be dismissive towards him, telling him to grow up when he was only still a boy, and his mother not doing anything about it. Frodo was not happy to see his parents.

Drogo stopped Frodo from making an outburst. “Hear me out, son. First, I want to apologize for my actions. Your mother and I talked it over and we agree you are still a boy. You still have some growing up to do. We’re going to let that pass naturally, and your mother’s a good defender on your behalf.”

Frodo was surprised. His dad was apologizing to him? That was a start.

Primula told Frodo in a kindly manner, “My darling, if there’s anything you need to tell us…” Her voice faded away as she watched her son.

“Yea, actually there is,” said Frodo. He got out of bed and told the truth right at both his parents. “As much as I appreciate this, you two lied to me. You made me think I was crazy. Parents don’t do that to their children.”

“Son,” said Drogo, nearly stopping Frodo from going on.

Frodo fired back with such passion. “No, I’d like to know what you have to say.”

Primula remarked in amazement. “You two have the same Bullroarer temper.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Frodo, confused at the random thought.

“Honey,” said Drogo to his wife.

Primula continued her rambling, “Well, I mean you two share similar traits as Frodo does with me. It’s called father-son bonding.”

“What?” asked Frodo, more confused, “Father-Son Bonding?”

Drogo tried to stop his wife from rambling, “Primula, stop.”

Primula did eventually stop, causing Drogo and Frodo to stop calming and questioning her. She apologized for it. “I’m sorry.”

Drogo turned to his son. “Well, come out for breakfast. Primula’s just about to make it.”

Primula nodded in agreement, giving Frodo a cheery smile. Then she and Drogo left his bedroom. Frodo turned to his new brown owl then and said, “Primula… Primrose… then that’s what I’ll call you. I’ll name you after my mother: Primrose. Prim for short. How does that sound?” The owl hooted in delight, as if knowing Frodo had given her the right name. “I thought you would like it.” He ran out of his bedroom afterwards, glad the commotion between him and his parents had stopped, for however long it took.

~~~

As August passed and September drew closer, Frodo let his new owl Prim out for a flight every so often when she was tired of the enclosed surroundings. Drogo and Primula watched their son, with affection, as Frodo bonded with his new bird and took responsibility for her. They already knew, even though Drogo understood why he shouldn’t have done what he did at the start of August, Frodo was growing up in the natural way. Drogo learned that day not to interfere in his son’s growing up, but rather embracing it for what it is in all it naturalistic ways.

Even though Frodo was still wary and cautious about the Wizardry World, he took to reading his new textbooks and guide. He started with the introductory book for hobbits, which was rightly titled _An Introduction for Hobbits on Magic and Science: The True Nature of Both_. The author was unknown, and yet this was Frodo’s headway into learning about the Wizardry World from a hobbit’s perspective. The textbook was fairly self-explanatory and easy to read. He found himself now intrigued by the Wizardry World and its magic. With that book done with a quick skim, even though Frodo read a few chapters here and there, Frodo delved into his other textbooks and even tried a few spells with his new wand. Drogo and Primula politely told Frodo not to fiddle with his wand too much, not until he got to the school.

On the morning of September 1st, around 9:30, a cart arrived in the entrance hall of Frodo’s parents’ house. Frodo guessed it was magic, and was in awe over how things appeared and disappeared without having to do anything. Frodo was helped by his parents get his luggage – his new trunk had his initials on the front in gold, as F.B. – and owl, snug in her cage, onto the cart. Once that was done, Drogo rang the bell and opened the front door, allowing Frodo to run through first. He was followed by his parents, before Drogo closed the front round door after them, which too looked brown on the other side.

It was a good thing his father handed to Frodo his ticket. After checking a sign, which said Platform 9 ¾ and seeing the train for the first time – yes, his parents told him about the Hogwarts Express and what it would look like – Drogo and Primula led Frodo to one of the train staff, who assisted Frodo with getting his trunk and his owl inside one of the carriages. And a good thing, too, for the train was filling up with students. Frodo checked for an empty compartment – there were several at this point – he found one that he liked and led the staff person inside. The staff person – a man with blonde hair that was graying – placed Frodo’s trunk up above and set his owl on the seat.

“Thank you,” said Frodo to the wizard on the train staff.

“If there’s anything else you need, holler,” said the wizard.

Frodo nodded. “I’m sure I will.” He watched the wizard take off, before Frodo sped towards the window in the corridor tender of the carriage.

Finding his parents, who now spotted him thanks to his mother, Frodo found the nearest door, ran outside, and embraced his mother first. Primula hugged him back, seconds before Frodo turned to his father. For a moment, Frodo and Drogo said nothing, but then Frodo broke the silence by embracing him as well. Drogo, after a brief thought, grabbed Frodo and held him in a tight bear hug. Once they said their farewells, Frodo rushed back inside the train’s carriage, making sure no one else took his compartment when he wasn’t looking. Lucky for him, it was still empty.

Frodo ran back to one of the windows in the corridor tender. Seeing his parents watching him from the front of the crowd, Frodo waved to them. They waved back with such love that Frodo knew he would remember and cherish. His mother was in tears, and sank into Drogo’s arms. Drogo nodded and waved to Frodo, giving Frodo the hint that maybe he should return to his compartment before someone else took it. Frodo agreed in a silent fashion and rushed back into the empty compartment. It was his compartment now.

Seeing as there was still time to kill, Frodo tried to reach for his trunk. He only wanted to get his school uniform and change. However, he couldn’t reach the luggage rack above. He tried again and fell backwards a few times. It was only by the last time that a ginger-haired boy, taller than he, entered his compartment. The boy seemed friendly to Frodo, but Frodo wasn’t the sort to give up so easily on a task.

“Want some help?” asked the ginger-haired boy.

Frodo, finding the task nearly impossible, nodded and stepped down from the seat. He was amazed at how fast the ginger-haired boy got his trunk down with ease. Frodo told the boy to set the trunk on the seat, which he did. However, the ginger-haired boy made a comment, as a reminder:

“You know, we’re not supposed to jump up and down on the seats. It’s the conductor’s rule,” said the ginger-haired boy. He added, casually and with a need now to try what Frodo just done, “I wouldn’t mind trying it myself it I wasn’t so tall.”

“Thanks. I’ll try to remember that in the future,” said Frodo. Honesty was a good sign.

The ginger-haired boy extended his hand in introduction. “George Weasley. My brothers Fred, Ron, and Percy are also heading to Hogwarts.”

“I’m Frodo Baggins,” said Frodo, taking the boy’s hand. Now they faced each other, Frodo felt powerless before the boy. George was much taller than Frodo expected, while he was so short. He had this fear that George would start calling him names, like ‘runt’.

George did point out the size. “For a friendly hobbit, you seem a bit short. All the other hobbits are average height for their ages.”

“Well, I was small as an infant… at least, that’s what my ma tells me,” said Frodo.

George responded, “Well, all first years have some growth spurts the longer they stay at Hogwarts. Who knows? You might be as tall as me.”

“I don’t think that’s possible. Not until I grow up more, am older,” said Frodo. Great, now he was stumbling on his own words.

George didn’t mind. In fact, he looked intrigued by Frodo. Frodo felt out-of-place and wanted to say something more until George heard his mother calling him and Fred. George said a pleasant farewell and regrouped with his mother outside the carriage. Frodo shut the compartment door and closed the shades, before digging into his trunk and changing from his casual Hobbit attire to his school Hobbit uniforms.

Frodo could now see the Hobbit uniform for what it was: a black jacket, a grey vest, a white dress shirt, and black breeches, but no neck tie like what Frodo saw the other students wearing for their robes. He supposed this was to separate the hobbits from the regular wizards and witches at the school, since the wizards and witches had neck ties, even the first years, but the hobbits Frodo saw passing had no neck ties. In a way, Frodo was relieved he didn’t have a tie to work with; it would have been too much of a hassle, or so Frodo thought. He felt sorry for the students that did have to wear neck ties, but this was a passing thought that went away quickly. As a second thought, Frodo also noticed he didn’t have any robes, like half of the other students already changed.

By the time he dressed, Frodo noticed the train start to move. Happy that he was in his uniform, Frodo closed his trunk and attempted to set it back up on the luggage rack. As he did, he was met by another ginger-haired boy, who was much taller than the last but looked more into his work.

“Here, let me,” said the ginger-haired boy, taking Frodo’s trunk and setting it up above. Frodo was relieved again, this time because he found his trunk was too heavy for him to lift. With the task done, the ginger-haired boy introduced himself right away, extending a hand in greeting, “Percy Weasley, Prefect.”

Frodo had no idea what the word meant, but he had a feeling he knew the term. Frodo took the hand and shook it, “Frodo Baggins, First Year.”

Percy released his hand. “That explains your height, but I wouldn’t blame you. All first years are short, and you… you’re shorter than most.”

“I’ll hit a growth spurt,” said Frodo, annoyed at Percy rude remark, “eventually.”

Percy didn’t take back his remark, but instead told him, “I’m sure you will. Now, as a prefect, I don’t approve of anyone breaking the rules. Have you spoken to my brothers, Fred and George Weasley?”

“I just met George about a couple of minutes ago,” said Frodo.

Percy said, “Well, he and Fred are troublemakers. I told one of the other hobbits about it and he seemed perturbed, while another was intrigued. The last thing we need is troublemakers amongst hobbits; so don’t you pull anything while we’re at Hogwarts. Is that understood?”

Frodo was finding this Percy to be a bit stuck-up. Still, he nodded, hoping the Weasley boy would leave him be. “Yes sir.”

“Honesty: that’ll save you from trouble. Anyway, I just wanted to make that clear. Good luck in your first year at Hogwarts,” said Percy, heading out of the compartment.

“Yea, you too,” said Frodo as Percy left. Once he thought Percy was out of earshot, Frodo put his hands on his hips and said to himself, “What a load of rubbish. Who is he to tell me what I can and cannot do? Are prefects always like this?” He wasn’t sure, but he had a feeling Percy was like this all the time. He remembered the compartment’s shades, but found they were already up again, thanks to him. He was pleased: one small task he didn’t have to do again.

As Frodo looked out the window, seeing the countryside quickly pass, he could hear a cat charging down the corridor tender. He whipped his head around in shock as something cream-colored and furry zoomed from one end of the corridor to the other. Chasing after the cat was the sandy-haired hobbit boy Frodo recalled seeing in one of the shops at Diagon Alley.

“Cotton, come back!” called the sandy-haired hobbit boy, frantic to capture the cat before the cat escaped on him.

After the sandy-haired hobbit boy vanished down the corridor, a girl with brown bushy hair and already wearing her school uniform, neck tie and robes included, stopped by the compartment. Frodo stared at the girl, wondering if she was anything like Percy or worse. He hardly understood girls, figuring they were all caught up in lace and housework to do anything else. The girl looked about Frodo’s compartment before turning to him.

“Did you see a toad? A boy named Neville’s lost one. I’ve been asking around, but no sign of his toad’s come up,” said the girl.

“No,” said Frodo. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh. I see you’ve changed into your Hobbit attire. I hope the uniform fits you.” The girl pressed on with such confidence. Frodo found her almost annoying. “Of course, Madam Malkin only did a few fittings and such for me, but all the same. I suppose your uniform is different from mine.”

“Is there a point to this conversation? You haven’t told me your name,” said Frodo.

“Neither have you,” said the girl. She made her introduction, “I’m Hermione Granger. Who are you?”

“Frodo Baggins,” said Frodo.

“Pleased to meet you, Frodo,” said Hermione, showing a happy smile. “Well, I should find Neville’s toad.” She charged down the corridor, leaving Frodo in peace.

Frodo sighed in relief. He figured out right away who the people he met behaved: Ernie was friendly, yet he had a picky resolve towards hobbits. George was friendly, but also a troublemaker – no, he couldn’t go by what Percy said to him. Percy was a stogy stuck-up… was git the right word? He learned it from his father, even though his mother disapproved of Frodo using such language towards others. And Hermione was a talkative know-it-all, worse than he. Oh well, Frodo didn’t mind learning; maybe Hermione wasn’t half-bad, but her social skills needed improvement. Then again, this was his first impression of these students, which wasn’t much to go on. And then there was the sandy-haired hobbit boy chasing after his cat… Frodo knew he would meet him at the school.

At some point, the food cart lady stopped by his compartment. Frodo was still the only one there, yet he could hear other voices in the walls, possibly from other compartments next door. The food cart witch asked Frodo, “Anything from the trolley, dear?”

Frodo pulled out his money from his breeches’ pocket. He was glad he still had money in the bag, which he kept in his trunk. He approached the food cart and told the elderly lady, “Two cauldron cakes and a pumpkin pasty, please.” He was handed the small snacks and in exchange, he gave the witch whatever galleons she needed him to pay. “Thanks.” He returned to his compartment as the food cart witch made her rounds.

Frodo figured it was best that he didn’t ruin his supper before getting to Hogwarts. Besides, he didn’t know how grand the feast would be at the school. Setting the cauldron cakes down, Frodo looked at his pumpkin pasty for a moment before he opened the package and took a bite. He remembered his father bringing out a book, another guide but this time on wizard sweets. Frodo recalled the two sweets that looked good to him: cauldron cakes and pumpkin pasties. He wanted to try them and see how they tasted.

Now that Frodo had the two sweets, he tried the pumpkin pasty first and found he liked it. Instead of meat and pie filling, it had pumpkin inside and it was sweet to the taste. After his pumpkin pasty was downed in a hurry, he opened the first box and tried the cauldron cake inside. He never had chocolate before – Frodo guessed it may have been somewhere in Middle-earth, but he hardly knew where – but he had cake before, so seeing the two marry was quite something. He found he wanted more, as the cauldron cake was delightfully good. However, he only bought two and reminded himself promptly not to overstuff himself. Maybe he was acting a bit like Percy and Hermione, but at least he was himself and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon.

Thanks to his small snack, Frodo was satisfied. He knew he wouldn’t have to eat anything else until the Hogwarts Express reached the school.

In what seemed like no time at all, it was getting dark outside and there was a mountainous landscape looming ahead. Frodo could also see a forest from the window. As he stared, he found the sunset looking spectacular here. As the train slowed, Frodo heard a voice telling him and the rest of the students to leave their luggage in their compartments, as they would be taken to the school separately. He stood up and waited until the train stopped, where he said his farewell to his owl Prim and made his way towards the carriage door.

Getting a whiff of the fresh air, relieved to be out in the open again, Frodo saw it was now pitch black. He followed the other first years towards a giant of a man, who led them off the platform and down a narrow path. The path ended at a black lake, which looked like glass in Frodo’s eyes. There were boats assembled on the shore. Soon after the giant told him and the other students to get into the boats four at a time, Frodo ended up sitting with students he did not recognize. There were two hobbits and two students that looked like they were from the Race of Men. He had already guessed some time ago, thanks to his trip to Diagon Alley, that both Hobbits and Men would be attending Hogwarts and that this was normal.

When everyone was seated in a boat, the giant called and the boats skimmed across the lake, making very few ripples. Frodo could see the castle now, which looked magnificent. The first thing he noticed about this castle was that it was made of stone, but must have had a dozen or so rooms and halls, as well as courtyards. This was what he heard from his parents, but Frodo hadn’t thought there was ever a castle in Middle-earth.

After passing underneath ivy, the boat Frodo was in stopped at a harbor. Frodo and the other students clambered onto the rocks. Soon enough, he was following the giant and other first years up a passageway of rock, through some damp, smooth grass, and up a flight of stone stairs. They stopped before a huge, oak front door, where Frodo saw the giant knock three times. The door swung open to reveal a tall, black-haired witch wearing emerald-green robes. She looked like someone Frodo should be frightened over getting on her bad side.


	4. The Sorting Ceremony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I haven’t written any notes on this story yet, but I will say this is an important chapter and is one of my favorite scenes in the Harry Potter universe. It’s important because Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin – yes, Sam, Merry, and Pippin are in here already due to their physical descriptions, even if they weren’t in this story much – get sorted into their houses. Now, I did some hard research and figuring out each hobbit’s personalities, qualities and choices (I did not take this on a whim) before making the final decision of where our four hobbits will be sorted into.
> 
> Also, I should point out that because Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin are all eleven years old in this story, they don’t really know one another since they haven’t met and Sam, Merry, and Pippin aren’t born yet in Middle-earth at this time, but Sam’s birth in the Shire is going to show up somewhere in this story. So, in a way, it’s like we get to see how these four hobbits’ friendships first formed, just under different circumstances.

After the giant, who Frodo learned from this witch, whose name was Professor McGonagall, was Hagrid, passed Frodo and the other first year students to who would be their teacher, Professor McGonagall led them down a stone floor. Frodo could hear hundreds of voices from a doorway on his right, which only gave him the conclusion that the rest of the students were there, the _returning_ students to be precise. However, Professor McGonagall led the first years into a small, empty chamber hall where they crowded together. Although Frodo wanted to stand on his toes in order to see Professor McGonagall, he figured he should just stay put so he could hear the entire speech.

But one almost golden-haired hobbit boy, who was a bit shorter than Frodo, leapt into the air a few times. This caused a spur of giggles and soft chuckles amongst the first years. When Professor McGonagall spoke, she directed her gaze to the golden-haired hobbit boy first:

“Now, you will all get your chance to hear me speak… NO MORE LEAPING INTO THE AIR OR I SHALL PUNISH YOU BEFORE THE SORTING CEREMONY BEGINS!” called Professor McGonagall in a stern voice. This got the golden-haired hobbit boy’s attention; he stopped leaping and shrunk in the crowd. Once there was silence, and Frodo’s gaze fell on Professor McGonagall – he could see her at least through an opening in the crowd, she started her speech:

“Thank you. Welcome to Hogwarts.” She looked pleased to see her new students, in spite of the anxious golden-haired hobbit boy. “Now before the start-of-term feast begins, you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. While you are here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points, and any rule-breaking will cost you points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup.

“The Sorting Ceremony will begin momentarily. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up beforehand.” Then Professor McGonagall disappeared.

The brown-haired hobbit boy between Frodo and the golden-haired hobbit boy – both hobbits Frodo had seen at Madam Malkin’s shop, but had slipped his mind due to everything happening at this moment – whispered in Frodo’s ear. He was a few inches taller than Frodo. “You excited?” This got Frodo’s attention, but not enough for him to say anything. The brown-haired hobbit boy introduced himself, “I’m Merry Brandybuck.”

“I’m Frodo Baggins,” said Frodo, whispering back. He and Merry said nothing afterwards to one another, but neither were many of the first years, except Hermione Granger who was whispering rapidly amongst her peers.

Out of nowhere, ghosts flew above the first years’ heads. Frodo was surprised and startled to see the ghosts. He had heard of wights in the Shire, but he never expected to come face-to-face with what his parents called ghosts. While some of the ghosts were friendly, Frodo was frightened of them. One ghost asked the first years about the sorting and, after a muted nod from some of the students, the ghost – called the Fat Friar – hoped to see them sorted into his house, Hufflepuff.

Professor McGonagall’s voice broke the first years’ startled behaviors. The students followed her instructions and formed a line, before following her out of the chamber, back across the entrance hall, and then past a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

Frodo looked in wonder at the sight of the hall. Looking up, he saw thousands of lit candles floating mid-air; above the candles, very high above, was a starry-lit night sky. It wasn’t until Hermione whispered about it being an enchantment that Frodo nearly thought there was no ceiling to begin with. Sitting in four long tables were students, all staring at the first years. At the end of the hall was a table for the staff. Professor McGonagall stopped the first years here, where they were in a line facing the students and the teachers behind them. This time, Frodo was up front and it made him feel uncomfortable. The last thing he needed was several pairs of eyes staring straight at him.

Frodo watched Professor McGonagall as she set up a stool and put a dirty, worn hat on top. At first, Frodo thought the hat was an inanimate object, nothing special; then, in another instant, the hat sang a song about the four houses and how unique they were. He was unsure about Gryffindor, figuring it didn’t match him at all; Hufflepuff seemed a friendly bunch, somewhere he might fit into; then there was Ravenclaw, with all their wisdom and intelligence. He was unsure, but he was choosing between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw more than Gryffindor and especially Slytherin.

Now came the sorting. Professor McGonagall started on the students that were Men, causing Frodo to guess his group, Hobbits, would be next. Frodo felt relief knowing he was not the first selected. In a way, Frodo wasn’t surprised when the ginger-haired boy named Ron Weasley was sorted into Gryffindor. He looked on at the Gryffindor table at the far left and saw the ginger-haired siblings. He was surprised and perhaps relieved to see Hermione put into Gryffindor. Maybe if he was lucky, he could be in a different house, away from Hermione.

Then it was Harry Potter’s turn. Frodo saw the black-haired boy with glasses approach the Sorting Hat and sit on the stool. He listened as the Sorting Hat decided where to put Harry, but before it chose Slytherin, Harry pleaded with the hat not to choose that house and the hat chose Gryffindor instead. After this tense decision, Frodo watched as the rest of the students of the Race of Men were sorted into their houses.

With this part of the ceremony finished, Professor McGonagall said, as she moved down her scroll, “And now for the hobbits.” She read the first name on her list. The hobbit that was selected, a girl, ended up in Gryffindor. She read down the list for a short time until… “Baggins, Frodo.”

There was whispers and chatters from the students that were Muggle-born of Men. Frodo wondered what they were chattering about. Finding his way over to the stool, Frodo sat down before Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on his head. She stepped back as the Sorting Hat’s small voice spoke in his ear:

“Hmm… interesting. There’s loyalty, bravery, wit and charm about you. You cover three houses no doubt. Two? Yes, two more than the third. Yes, an even passing I think. No? You definitely fit into one.” Then the voice grew louder, for all to hear, “RAVENCLAW!”

There was a thunderous applause from the table second from the left. After Professor McGonagall took off the hat, Frodo made his way to the table where the Ravenclaws were. He hardly knew he was running and almost tripped over his own feet, smacking his hands on the table. Recovering, Frodo shook a few hands, feeling more welcome by the second. He’d never been so popular until this moment.

A few Ravenclaw students chanted, “We got Baggins! We got Baggins!” as if throwing it back at the Weasley twins, who had chanted earlier about Harry Potter being in their house, which was Gryffindor.

Frodo sat down on the bench, looking over his silver wear: they were gold, as was the plate and goblet. Other students’ plates, goblets, and silver wear were also gold. As further relief washed over him, and a momentary thought on the barrier he had passed through – he hadn’t really took much thought in it, thinking it was a great way to travel quickly from place to place… his giddiness often got the better of him – Frodo watched the rest of the sorting ceremony.

The B’s continued, reaching “Bolger, Fredegar” who was placed in Gryffindor. Then it was Merry’s turn. Frodo watched and listened as there was a pause, and then “GRYFFINDOR!” The Gryffindor table cheered as Merry joined them. Frodo was frustrated. None of the people he met were in his house. No, he mustn’t panic. Maybe if he was lucky, someone he knew would be in his house as well.

The list continued. The sandy-haired hobbit boy was next and Frodo now learned his name. He perked up upon hearing “Gamgee, Samwise”, his gut telling him he should meet this hobbit. However, Sam ended up in Hufflepuff. Okay, Frodo could take a sigh of relief. Hufflepuff wasn’t so bad. The list continued for a while, reaching towards the bottom at long last.

“Sackville-Baggins, Lotho”; as soon as Frodo heard this name, his insides told him this was bad. How on earth did Lotho end up at Hogwarts? He heard from Bilbo, his cousin, about the Sackville-Baggins and their fierce efforts to take away Bilbo’s house from him. The last thing he wanted to see was one of their offspring in Hogwarts. Lo, and behold! Not to Frodo’s surprise, Lotho ended up in Slytherin. There was much cheering from Slytherin table, but a look of disdain on Frodo’s face. He wasn’t the only hobbit that showed disdain towards Lotho.

Before heading to the table, Lotho made several standing ovations and bows. “Thank you, thank you! I am special!”

Professor McGonagall quickly stopped this snooty display. “Yes, Mr. Sackville-Baggins. Please take your seat before you ruin everything.”

Lotho grunted, stuck his head up in the air to show his proudness, and joined the Slytherin table.

After Lotho was dismissed, Professor McGonagall called next, “Took, Peregrin.” And just like that, Pippin was sorted into Gryffindor. Applause came once more from the Gryffindor table. They must have felt so pleased, yet Frodo’s thoughts were already annoyed at the Gryffindors, but more so at the Slytherins because they now had Lotho. With Pippin being the last hobbit, Professor McGonagall moved the hat and the stool against a wall, before joining the staff at their designated table.

The Headmaster said a few words and food appeared on all the plates and dishes. Frodo had never seen so much food, and what were right in front of him were all his favorite main course dishes, and plenty of meat to go around. As Frodo ate a large chicken leg, the ghost with the long flowing dress glided over to him.

“I hope that’s good,” said the ghost, who Frodo learned from another student was the Grey Lady.

Frodo nodded eagerly. “It is good. Don’t you eat?”

The Grey Lady shook her head. “No, unfortunately. I haven’t eaten in a few hundred years.” She changed the subject on him, “I hope Ravenclaw wins the house cup this year. Only I worry over Slytherin winning again.” She had a look of disdain on her face, worse than Frodo’s, in his mind. She stared at Frodo, making him uncomfortable even as she said, “You’re Frodo Baggins. I hope you live. It would be a shame if you suddenly lost.” She glided off to another student.

Frodo was confused. As he shook, a thought crept up on him. What did the Grey Lady mean by that? She wasn’t the most pleasant sort towards him. It was as if she knew him, before he had a chance to tell her about himself. What did she mean by lost? He wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Frodo shook his head, letting the thought pass.

When everyone had their fill, the dishes cleared. A moment passed before the desserts appeared. Once again, the dishes had Frodo’s favorites, including strawberries with cream. Frodo took a big helping of the strawberries with cream and dug in like a little child. He was glad he had enough room for dessert. This was his helping and he would enjoy every minute he had with his dessert. An afterthought passed his mind: why wasn’t anyone talking to him? He looked around for a moment, but saw everyone was deep in conversation. However, his mind was too focused on food at the moment to notice anything else. By the time he finished, Frodo looked up at the staff section as the Headmaster spoke to the assembly.

“The First Years please note that the dark forest is strictly forbidden to all students. Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that no magic is to be used between the classes in the corridors. Quidditch tryouts will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, for this year, the third-floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death,” said the Headmaster.

Frodo looked confused. Was this what the Grey Lady warned him about? Must have been. As it happened, everyone sang at different times the school songs that were their favorites. Then it was time to go to bed. At that, Frodo followed the Ravenclaw first years and their prefect, Robert Hilliard, through the chattering crowds. They made it out of the Great Hall in due time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea for Frodo liking strawberries with cream actually came from burningSunset’s fanfic _Wild Child_ , which can be found on Fanfiction.net.


	5. The Common Rooms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: Descriptions for the four common rooms came from the Harry Potter Wiki, and I know I did my best to describe the common rooms in my own words, which was really tricky at the time.
> 
> The reason this chapter has been so tricky to figure out where to start writing is because the scenes in this chapter occur simultaneously with each other. Still, I may have figured out a way to write it. Also, there’s a bonus scene with one of the hobbits that isn’t the main four, but I don’t know how many scenes he’ll have from his point-of-view.
> 
> I should also inform you that this story was originally on Fanfiction.net, and it was finished there before I moved it here.

True, all the food Frodo had eaten did make him sleepy – he was unsure what the drink he had was called, since it tasted like pumpkin juice – but he was still eager to see where the Ravenclaw common room was located. There were many staircases in the Grand Staircase; while it was a lot to remember, Frodo was too tired to try to recollect anything. So, he allowed his body to follow the Ravenclaw prefect and the other Ravenclaw first years through the series of staircases and hallway until they climbed up a tower.

It was a lot of spiraling steps and Frodo absentmindedly tried to count them all – that is, until he lost count. At the top of the staircase – relieved hugely to be at the top at last – there was a door with a bronze eagle knocker. There was no doorknob or keyhole, which surprised Frodo, even though he had come to expect some odd things happening in the Wizardry World; Hogwarts was no different.

The eagle knocker gave the Ravenclaw prefect Robert Hilliard a riddle, expecting an answer in return, “I am an eagle, a badger, a lion, and a raven.”

Robert answered the riddle with a thought-filled answer, “You are a griffin and a new creature.”

The eagle knocker said, impressed, “Precise answer.” And the door flew open.

Frodo was forced onto the rail as the other Ravenclaw first years pushed past him. Eventually he did get his chance to move when one of the Ravenclaw first years, a girl with dirty blonde hair, pulled him back into the line. He thanked her briefly and walked past the door with eagle knocker with the other Ravenclaw first years.

The Ravenclaw common room was a sight that Frodo wanted to see. This common room reminded him of home, even though it was far away. It was a wide, circular room with a domed ceiling painted with stars, had arched windows hung with blue and bronze silks, and midnight blue carpet. From the sound of the wind whispering around the windows, Frodo guessed right away this was an airy tower. There were tables, chairs, bookcases, and a statue of Rowena Ravenclaw, the founder of the house, in the common room as well. There was also a door that Frodo guessed led to the dormitories.

Robert led Frodo and the rest of the Ravenclaw first years past the statue of the Ravenclaw founder, past the door, and up a flight of stairs. Robert showed them to their dormitories, and they were only two on the outside. He added in a respectful manner:

“Each dormitory has two sections: one is for boys and girls, and the other is for hobbit boys and girls. They were especially built for both. The hobbits have their own tower to study or simply to enjoy the sights of the castle. In the meantime, you’ll find all your belongings that have already been brought up. As an added bonus for the hobbits, they have their own wardrobe stocked with uniforms their size. If you have any questions, come and see me or our Head of House, Professor Flitwick.”

After the dormitory wings were shown, boys and girls separated. The boys were on the left-hand side, while the girls were on the right. Frodo joined the Ravenclaw boys – Man and Hobbit – in the dormitory, which did indeed have two dorm rooms with an open arched stone divider to separate the rooms, a sapphire-blue curtain on the arched stone wall to help divide the two dorm rooms further. In the normal-sized dorm room the four-poster beds, where the boys from the Race of Men would be sleeping, had royal blue, violet curtains and a blue bedspread on each bed. They had a dresser, a mirror, and a chair. Their black robes were already laid out for them, neat and clean.

In the adjoining room was for the hobbits, and while they had a violet-blue bedspread on each large twin bed, the sapphire-blue curtains acted more elegant, and even had a rail to draw the two curtains around the bed. There was also an oak wardrobe for each bed, a dresser, and a mirror. This adjoining room, while circular, was a little larger than the regular dorm room next door. Adding to the larger dorm room was a mini tower, complete with stairwell, a metal balcony wrapping around the walls and a small stone study area within that space. Frodo felt more at home here than anywhere else.

His new roommates spoke to each other as Frodo found his trunk, and then explored the wardrobe. The wardrobe did indeed look magical as it had one uniform in a shade of blue already hanging. When Frodo closed it and opened it again, another uniform appeared in a different shade of blue, except the dress shirt was snowy-white. All the uniforms in this wardrobe were in some sort of shade of blue, but it also had the badge of Ravenclaw house, with the eagle in the foreground, on the front of the jacket and vest, representing the house.

“Fascinating, isn’t it? It’s like we’re on vacation,” said one of his hobbit roommates, to anyone that would listen.

“Obviously,” said Frodo, taking it all in. The hobbits only stared at him, making him uncomfortable. Not wanting to make a scene, Frodo changed into his night gown, pulled back the sheets, and got into bed. He dreamed of crossing paths with Lotho that night and woke up in the middle of the night only half-remembering the dream.

o-o-o

_A Couple of Hours Back, Same Night…_

Samwise Gamgee, the sandy-haired eleven-year-old hobbit boy, nervously followed the Hufflepuff first years and their prefect to the Ground Floor. He was nervous and shy, perhaps more shier than Frodo, even though Sam knew nearly all his siblings were at Hogwarts, except for his younger sister Marigold, who had given him her Siamese cat Cotton that their parents bought for her at Diagon Alley no more than a year ago. Cotton didn’t like Sam that much and would often try to get away from him, sometimes doing it on purpose just to watch Sam chase after her. He did not know what to expect, but was relieved he was in Hufflepuff, since that’s where his family had been sorted into. He didn’t want to feel any different or special, or else his father Hamfast Gamgee, commonly nicknamed Gaffer, would have his head.

Taking a stairs below the ground floor, Sam found he and the Hufflepuff first years were being led near the kitchens. He knew it was the kitchens because Sam could still smell food and it delighted him. Maybe Hogwarts wasn’t so bad after all. It was here that the Hufflepuff prefect led the first years inside a nook entrance hall on the right hand side of the kitchen corridor. There were armchairs and sofas with yellow and black upholstery scattered about the entrance in a decorative fashion. The Hufflepuff prefect, Gabriel Truman, approached the barrel and told the first years they needed to tap the barrel that was two from the bottom, but in the middle of the second row. The rhythm was actually Helga Hufflepuff’s name. After tapping the barrel with success, the lid swung open, allowing passage into the common room. Gabriel gestured forward, allowing Sam and the other Hufflepuff first years to crawl through the passageway.

While the nook entrance was cozy and had natural plant life, Sam found the inside of the Hufflepuff common room delightful. He felt like he was back in the Shire, due to its warm and sunny feel. All around were yellow hangings and brandished copper hanging from the low ceiling. The walls were round and had an earthy appearance. Overstuffed armchairs and sofas, upholstered in yellow and black, filled the room. As for the circular windows, they provided a way to see grass and dandelions, but also the snow during the winter months. Several potted plants scattered the room and on the window sills. There were also several tunnels leading to different destinations in this part of the castle, including the dormitories.

Gabriel spoke to the Hufflepuff first years then, explaining the history of Hufflepuff house and its founder, Helga Hufflepuff. After this explanation, he said, “Now, there are two tunnels leading to the dormitories: one is for boys and the other for girls; hobbits will separate and go with either the boys or the girls, depending on your gender. You’ll find hobbit rooms joined with the regular dorm rooms and a sun room especially made for hobbits to study and relax.” Just like that, he led first the Hufflepuff boys and hobbit boys through one of the tunnels.

As Sam followed the Hufflepuff boys, Hobbit and Men, through the tunnel to their dormitory, he felt more and more at home due to the tunnels. Everything in this house seemed to go well with hobbit houses. The tunnels were new to him, but the whole idea of the place was familiar.

The distance to the Hufflepuff boys’ dormitory was fairly short and after a crawl, Sam had at last made it there. The entrance was the little tunnel, so Sam now knew how to get in and out. There were a couple of doors leading into other boys’ dorms. Gabriel showed Sam and his roommates their dorm, before heading back through the tunnel to assist the girls. Inside the dorm were two adjoining rooms: one for the boys of the Race of Men, the other for the Hobbit boys. The boys had the four-poster beds, while the Hobbit boys had beds with only yellow-and-black curtains attached to rails. The boys had a dresser and a mirror, while the Hobbit boys had a wardrobe for each bed, dresser, and a mirror. Each bed had copper lamps and copper bed-warmers on the walls. Indeed, in the Hobbits’ side of the dorm was an adjoining sun room for study or relaxation.

Sam checked the wardrobe first, and found his Hobbit uniform, with the Hufflepuff house badge sewn into the jacket and vest, in one shade of yellow. The second time he checked the wardrobe, indeed like his sister May had said, was another Hobbit uniform in a different shade of yellow. The white dress shirt was snowy-white always. Closing the wardrobe, and scared to speak to any of his roommates, Sam changed into his night gown and went to bed. He dreamed of the class Herbology and stayed asleep for the rest of the night.

~~~

_Same Couple of Hours Back, Same Night…_

After a climb up the many staircases of the Grand Staircase Merry, Pippin, and Fredegar followed Percy and the other Gryffindor first years to the seventh floor corridor. From there, they only needed to walk down a hallway where a portrait of a lady in pink asked for a password. Percy gave the correct password and the way inside the Gryffindor Tower was revealed. Harry Potter went in first, followed by the other Gryffindor first years.

The Gryffindor common room had squashy armchairs, tables, a sofa, and a bulletin board. There were scarlet tapestries decorated on the walls that depicted witches, wizards, and animals. Portraits were also seen on the walls. The three hobbit boys could see a large window on one side overlooking the grounds, while a large fireplace dominated one wall. There were also two doors leading to separate spiral staircases: one for the boys’ dormitory and the other for the girls’ dormitory.

Merry warned Pippin, after Percy gave a brief introduction to the Gryffindor common room and where they were supposed to go, “The girls’ dormitory staircase is enchanted. Any boy that wants to go into the girls’ dormitory will slide down the stairs no matter what.”

“Why is that, Merry?” asked Pippin, climbing up the stairs.

Fredegar chuckled. “Why? It should be obvious. The girls are more trustworthy than boys.” He was being serious the whole time about it.

“Well, that’s a bummer,” said Pippin.

Fredegar grabbed Pippin’s shoulder and stopped him in his tracks. He was dead serious now. “Hey, if my sister was here, you’d better treat her with respect. Girls aren’t objects meant to be toyed with. If you hurt my sister, you’ll have to come through me.”

Now Pippin was afraid. “Erm, I’ll remember that.” The last thing he wanted was to get on Fredegar’s bad side.

Fredegar was suspicious of Pippin for a second, but then led the way after Harry, Ron, and their hobbit boy and boy roommates into the boys’ dormitory. Similar to the other houses, there was an adjoining room divided by an open arched wall and scarlet curtains. There were similarities and differences between both dorm rooms, and like the hobbit dorm rooms in the other houses also had wardrobes. The bedding was in red, while the curtains were scarlet. It turned out that Merry, Pippin, and Fredegar were roommates in this adjoining dorm room, but Harry, Ron, and the other boys could still visit the hobbit boys in the adjoining room. The Gryffindor Tower also had an adjoining study area tower located in a stairs by the hobbits’ dorm rooms, covered by a wood door.

Ron decided to greet the five hobbit boys, “I’m Ron Weasley. It looks like we’re roommates.”

Merry introduced himself to Ron with such confidence, “Merry Brandybuck, at your service.”

“Oh, you’re not a House-elf,” said Ron, outright.

“I don’t know what a House-elf is,” admitted Merry. He recovered, remembering, “Well, yes, now come to think on it, Brandy Hall – where I live – used to have House-elves working there as extra servants. The smial can be so crowded.”

“What’s a smial?” asked Harry, curious.

Pippin intervened then, explaining promptly, “It’s a luxurious hobbit-house, dug under hills. They’re quite grand and have many rooms and space. They’re meant for rich hobbits, like Merry and me.”

“I wish I was rich. Maybe then I’ll come by your smial sometime,” said Ron.

“Pippin and I live in two different smials, miles apart from each other,” said Merry.

“And I live in a house, a hobbit house,” said Fredegar. “I’m not as rich as these two.” He pointed to Merry and Pippin.

Ron ended the conversation, feeling tired, “Well, it was nice talking to you three, even though I don’t know your names.” He pointed to Pippin and Fredegar.

“I’m Fredegar, but most people call me Fatty,” said Fredegar. At that, there were stifling chuckles amongst the hobbits and boys. “It’s true. I was named because I am fat. Do you have a problem with fat people? I hope you don’t.” He was becoming hot-tempered.

Pippin spoke up then, “Well, anyway.” He introduced himself to all his roommates, “I’m Peregrin Took, Pippin for short. You may not know this, but Merry’s full first name is Meriadoc.”

Merry stopped Pippin then, his face red with fury. “Pippin, you didn’t have to tell them that. I only told you it once. I don’t like being called by that name.”

“Why not?” an olive-skinned boy named Dean Thomas asked.

Merry gave him a sharp, stern gaze.

Pippin understood what it meant. “Don’t ask.”

“Well, I think it’s fascinating. We’re with hobbits and regular boys,” said a pale-skinned boy named Seamus Finnegan. “Wait ‘til mum hears the news.”

The boys and hobbit boys talked for a little while longer, before stopping for the night. Merry and Pippin eagerly checked their wardrobes and found new Hobbit uniforms with the Gryffindor house badge on the jacket and vest each time until they spotted a pattern. The jacket, vest, and breeches were all in a different shade of red and gold, while the dress shirt was snowy-white. Fredegar only needed to look in the wardrobe once before closing it, before becoming annoyed with the two hobbits.

“Just close those wardrobes before you give me a headache!” shouted a stern Fredegar. He spoke in a mild soft voice.

Merry and Pippin said in unison. “We’re sorry, Fatty.” They held back a chuckle or two. The two hobbit boys looked at each other, knowing this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship for each of them.

Later that night, once everyone was asleep in the Gryffindor Tower, Merry dreamed of a scarlet tapestry maze, while Pippin dreamed of sitting next to the roaring fireplace in the Gryffindor common room and seeing dancing fauns in the flames, before he couldn’t stop drawing closer to the fire. Pippin awoke in a nervous wreck and took some time to calm down, before he fell back to asleep and forgot the dream.

~~~

_Same Couple of Hours Back, Again on the Same Night…_

Lotho Sackville-Baggins wanted to chase after the hobbit Samwise Gamgee.  He wanted to, just to see the look on his scared, shy face. Lotho remembered the Gamgee family living in Hobbiton, not far from where he lived in Bywater; both villages resided in the Shire and yet the near distance only made Lotho despise Sam even more. Lotho was spoiled rotten by his parents, who thought it better they were superiors because they were a Baggins and wanted other Baggins families to think as they did. He did not understand why everyone was against his family; personally, Lotho enjoyed the idea.

The fact that Lotho was a half-blood did not matter. It was true his mother Lobelia was a Muggle, while his father Otho was a wizard, and yet his mother didn’t mind; in fact, she was proud to have a husband and only son who were wizards. It gave her a new reputation. Lobelia didn’t understand why hobbits were keeping the fact they had some sort of magical powers a secret, and she taught Lotho to always boast about his powers and use it against those who he would call his enemies. Lotho chose to use both magic and non-magic to get his enemies to do what he will. He was happy to be a Slytherin because that was where his father had been when he came to Hogwarts; Lotho wanted to continue the line and was not afraid to say he was half-blood, even though he knew he would get laughed at by all the pure-bloods in Slytherin house.

The Slytherin prefect led Lotho, Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, and the other Slytherin first years down to the dungeons. There, they came upon a stone wall, which the Slytherin prefect tapped and it asked for a password. The Slytherin prefect gave it and the way to the Slytherin common room was clear. Lotho charged inside first, annoying Draco for a several moments, who had to follow second with Crabbe and Goyle following his lead as well as the other Slytherin first years.

The Slytherin common room looked very grand, but also felt cold. There were greenish-lamps and chairs throughout, as well as lots of low backed black and dark green button-tufted, leather sofas. Because this dungeon extended partway out to the lake, the lake’s light gave it a green tinge. There were skulls and dark wood cupboards also scattered about. Lotho breathed in the air. He felt at home now, right where he belonged.

The Slytherin prefect, Gemma Farley, said with such pride, “Welcome to the Slytherin common room. This is our domain and no filthy Muggle-borns are allowed here. You’ll find the dormitories in that wing: boys on the left and girls on the right. Your belongings are there as well, and hobbits, although I don’t see the point in favoritism, have their own magical wardrobes for their many hobbit uniforms. At least theirs is green and silver, like ours. Now then, I’ll show you to your dorms. Hurry up now!”

Lotho did not like to be insulted. Hobbits had every right for favoritism. That much was clear in his eyes. Why not have special privileges daily? Still, he followed Gemma and the Slytherin boys to the hallway on their left, where Gemma told them it was the first door at the end. Lotho rushed to the door first and charged in, with the other hobbit boys and boys sneering at him.

It was easy for Lotho to find the hobbit boys’ dorm room, as it was a circular walled stone room with beds that had green bedding and emerald-green curtains. He found the dark wood wardrobes, but also his trunk and the wardrobe that belonged to him. This dorm room was adjoined to the boys’ dorm room with a rectangular stone wall dividing the two rooms and emerald-green curtains as an added touch to the division.

Figuring it was best to explain to Lotho what was going to happen, Draco approached the hobbit with Crabbe and Goyle on tow, “Just so we’re clear, Sackville, you’re not the one in charge.”

“Excuse me, but I have a reputation to keep up. You’ll be in my way of my progress,” said Lotho.

“You want me to pound him, Draco?” asked Goyle, readying his fist.

Draco stopped Goyle and asked Lotho, “Why did you come to Hogwarts?”

“Why? Same as you, I’d expect. Even though I’m a half-blood, I take pride in knowing the purity of wizards and hobbits is kept in check. The name’s Lotho,” said Lotho, extending his hand.

Draco looked at Crabbe and Goyle, who were also impressed. Draco took Lotho’s hand and said, “I’m Draco Malfoy. This is Crabbe and Goyle. If you ever need anything, or want someone to pound, we’ll be there for you.”

“Really? Well, I don’t need the help. I do fine on my own,” said Lotho, releasing Draco’s hand.

“Yes, don’t we all. But there’s more of everyone else than there are Slytherins. You’ll need back-up if you’re to get through to them. It’s better that we work as a team than go on alone. Besides, Potter won’t know what’s coming to him. Don’t you agree, Lotho?” asked Draco.

Lotho remembered and said, “Now that you mention it, there are a couple of hobbits here that could be taught some good old lessons from Lotho. Maybe you can help me with these blokes,” said Lotho.

“It’d be our pleasure,” said Draco, already formulating a plan to get after Potter. All the same Lotho was figuring out new ways to get Samwise Gamgee.

Later that evening, Lotho had a good dream where he was beating up Frodo Baggins, in hopes that he would keep the hobbit away from Bag End. He cracked a grin when he woke up, his mind at ease before returning to sleep.


	6. Newts Anyone?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we've returned to Frodo's POV for this chapter. Also, please note this is the last chapter, hopefully, where there is a lot of telling. Next chapter, we'll start to get into the showing part of my writing, which was really hard to write then.

The next morning, Frodo awoke sleepy-eyed. For a moment he thought he was still dreaming, but then it dawned on him. He bolted out of bed the second he realized the other four full-sized beds were empty. He sat back down upon finding himself still tired and a bit dizzy. His full-sized bed here was more comfortable than the one at home, but then… they were both comfortable. But the full-sized bed he slept on felt like new and was complete with a feather pillow, which he was familiar with. Even though he wanted to stay in bed, his stomach was right away hungry: a clear sign he needed to head downstairs for breakfast.

Getting out of bed at last, Frodo approached the wardrobe and opened it. Inside was a nice deep blue Hobbit uniform with a snowy-white dress shirt. He pulled it out and closed the wardrobe, but not before checking the wardrobe again and finding it was empty. Frodo closed the doors again, and once again opened them for the second time to find another blue Hobbit uniform inside. He closed the wardrobe door for the last time before getting changed and heading out. He was stopped in the adjoining regular dorm room by a boy with blonde hair. Now it seemed to Frodo that the students were wearing blue and bronze striped neck ties to match their black uniform robes.

“You must be Frodo Baggins. I’ve heard a lot about you,” said the boy. “I’m Anthony Goldstein.” He took Frodo’s hand and shook it, before releasing it.

“Well, I’ve not heard of you before,” said Frodo with some cheek.

“I thought you would be nicer,” said Anthony.

A brown-haired boy admitted, “Anthony, it’s all right. I’m sure he’s overwhelmed by everything happening here.” He introduced himself to Frodo, “Terry Boot, half-blood.”

“I’m a half-blood, too,” said Anthony. He turned to Frodo, “What blood status are you: pure-blood, half-blood, Muggle-born?”

“I’m a pure-blood,” said Frodo. He was still nervous talking to people.

A boy with black hair approached the group, standing side by side with Anthony, “I think you’re scaring him.” He turned to Frodo, “I’m Michael Corner.”

“Pleased to meet you,” said Frodo, shaking his hand. “How is it you know about me?”

“I’ve read a book on you. And I think there’s a book specific to each hobbit somewhere in the library. I think you can purchase it at Flourish and Blotts. It just came out, and has your name on it,” said Terry.

“What?” asked Frodo, not sure what to make of this. “There is?”

“You can check it out between classes,” said Terry.

Michael told Anthony, Terry and Frodo, “Well, we really should head downstairs. Do you want to come with us?”

Frodo was unsure, but agreed. “Sure. It doesn’t hurt for me to make new friends.” As he walked close to Michael, Frodo put something in Michael’s trousers’ back pocket. Frodo moved a few inches away, looked up and gave Michael a cheery grin, as he crossed his fingers behind him. He still felt short amongst these three boys, and was in fact shorter than them by a few inches.

o-o-o

Breakfast that morning was a riot for Fred, George, Merry and Pippin. That was until the Weasley twins, Merry and Pippin also felt newts somewhere in their back pockets. It seemed the whole student body that was a boy – the hobbit boys were affected too – in the Great Hall had an incident with newts… everyone except Frodo, who was smirking to himself but behaving more innocently than most would expect. During the month of August, while reading his textbooks, Frodo’s ability to perform hand magic had grown and he finally learned to control it. Of course, he didn’t know what he was doing half the time; he just knew what he wanted and that’s what turned up. As for how everyone ended up with live newts in their back pockets, which were plastic toy newts to begin with… well, let’s just say Frodo used his hand magic to make several appear.

It was only when the students glared at him did Frodo say aloud, “I just wanted to make a warm welcome to Hogwarts. And a few newts won’t kill you.” Because of the distraught looks, Frodo used his hand magic to turn the newts back into toys and then again to make them vanish.

Fred and George looked at each other with impressed looks. “We need to get him into our group,” they said at the same time.

Pippin told Merry, nodding his approval, “He’s good.”

Merry was suspicious. “That’s odd coming from him. Frodo looked to be the sort that was shy, kind and innocent.” He chuckled in aspiration. “I’ve got to find out how he pulled this prank so quickly and in such high numbers. It would take him forever to place a hundred or so newts in boys’ breeches’ pockets.”

“So what blood status are you, Merry?” asked Pippin, curious.

“I’m a pure-blood,” said Merry. “My family’s been to Hogwarts over the years.”

“Mine too. My sisters are attending here now. I’m the last born,” said Pippin.

Merry and Pippin continued their conversation, delighted to hear about their families and how much they could relate to one another. Sam was still very shy around people; he wouldn’t even talk to his house mates due to his shyness.

Frodo looked down at his meal with a smirk on his face. It was a good prank. However, he received glares from Terry, Michael, and Anthony, who continued their conversation without him. Seeing the looks on their faces made Frodo feel alone and unwanted. Trying to stuff the thought away and not cry, Frodo continued eating his food in silence.

o-o-o

There was still plenty of talk about the first prank of the school year. That Monday Frodo became quite popular or unpopular, depending on the person and how well they liked the prank. Frodo knew if he did another prank, it would leave a mark on his reputation at the school. And if he continued doing it, his reputation as a troublemaker would be set. But then, this was what he hoped would happen.

On Tuesday morning, after Herbology class – which Frodo had trouble with but Sam got through with ease – Frodo and the other first years made their way to Defense Against the Dark Arts class. It was in Classroom 31 on the second floor corridor.

The moment Frodo entered the classroom, his nostrils flared from the strong smell of garlic. Frodo stopped in his tracks as a sneeze fell over him. He sneezed too loudly because half the class looked at him. Some were laughing, while others gave him an I-told-you-so look and sat down in their seats. Frodo ended up sitting next to Sam Gamgee, who was surprised to see him sitting next to him.

Professor Quirrell, who was obvious by his turban, gave the roll call. No surprise, Frodo’s name was the first to be called amongst the hobbits: “B-B-Baggins, F-F-Frodo.”

“I’m here, professor,” said Frodo. This was followed by snickers from Draco Malfoy, his gang, and Lotho, who were all sitting in the same row together.

Once the roll call was finished, and after he told his story of how he got his turban from an African prince, as a gift for defeating the zombie, Professor Quirrell started the class. “L-L-Learning how t-t-to defend oneself a-a-ag-against the D-Dark Arts is u-us-useful against your enemies. T-Th-This term, w-we will s-s-study and l-learn t-to c-c-cast c-c-counter-j-jinxes, d-defensive c-charms, other s-spells, a-and l-learn a-ab-about the c-creatures y-you will en-encounter a-and have t-to d-d-defeat. B-But first, w-we will l-learn how t-to cast the K-Knockback J-J-Jinx, m-more c-c-commonly called F-Flipendo.” He saw Seamus’ hand raise, “Y-Yes Mr. F-Finnegan.”

“How did you defeat the zombie?” asked Seamus.

Professor Quirrell avoided the question promptly, “T-The m-morning w-weather i-i-is g-g-good r-r-right n-n-now.” He returned to the lesson. “N-Now onto F-Flipendo…”

Soon enough, Frodo was learning the Knockback Jinx. He had a tricky time getting his wrist muscles to move in circles. While Frodo messed up the counter-jinx a couple of times, Sam did brilliant. Merry and Pippin even had their share of screw-ups casting the spell, but Fredegar did exceptionally well. Lotho smacked his wand on the floor; due to his anger spat that followed, he was laughed at by most of the first years, including Draco and Frodo. Sam said nothing, focusing on his work rather than Lotho’s antics. For the duration of the class, after his stunt, Lotho’s glare was more fixated on Frodo than Sam. Frodo, once again, felt uncomfortable and said nothing, continuing his practicing.

When Professor Quirrell stopped by his work area, Frodo had finally managed to get the spell right. The teacher granted five points to Ravenclaw for Frodo’s efforts, which in turn gave Frodo relief and a passing sigh of joy. After the lesson, Frodo grabbed his books and left the classroom with the rest of the first years.

o-o-o

After lunch, Charms class was next with Professor Flitwick. Flitwick, who Frodo learned, was his Head of House. Maybe that meant he would get brownie points for his innocence. Usually, he got away with innocence and he used it to his advantage any second he had.

After he located Classroom 2E on the third floor corridor, Frodo entered the classroom with the other first years: Hobbits and Men. The classroom had three rows, but there were also tables and chairs set up on the ground floor of the classroom, in case there were more students, meaning the hobbits. Not wanting to sit in the back or be caught in the middle rows, Frodo took a seat behind one of the tables. He had to, since everyone else sat in the three rows and filled up the spaces, forcing him to take a seat at one of the tables.

Frodo’s teacher was a short man. _This must be Flitwick, but he’s so short. I thought I was the only short person here_ , thought Frodo, commenting inside his head on Flitwick’s height. Maybe it was better he didn’t say anything at all, remembering what his mother told him about manners, something drilled into him since he was a toddler but half the time found little use for.

Flitwick gave the roll call. Eventually, he got to the B’s. Frodo peered over and saw Sam sitting next to him. Sam looked very timid, making Frodo pity him. “Baggins, Frodo.”

Frodo’s train of thought was broken, only for a moment. “Here.”

Flitwick went red in a sort of kindness. “You’ll do fine here. After that little stunt you pulled in the Great Hall yesterday… well, let’s hope there’s not a repeat performance.”

Several giggles spread throughout the class, making Frodo blush with embarrassment.

Sam whispered in Frodo’s ear, surprising him. “That was a mean thing you’d done.”

Frodo’s gaze snapped to Sam, who quickly retreated into his own space again. Frodo stared at Sam until Flitwick went giddy over finding out Harry Potter was in his class. As Flitwick lost it, Frodo and several other students laughed due to the enthusiasm. After the roll call, Flitwick began the lesson.

“Charms class is much easier than Transfiguration. With transfiguration, you have to be precise every time. With charms, there’s room for creativity. There will be homework, but learning the charm spells will be essential for you to pass your exams. If there are any questions, we can begin,” said Professor Flitwick. He saw Frodo’s hand shoot up in the air. Nearly all the class looked at Frodo. He was not their favorite, but Frodo was already used to this at home, in the Shire. Even Hermione was shooting Frodo glares. Professor Flitwick, nonetheless, asked Frodo, politely, “Yes Mr. Baggins.”

“Are you a hobbit? You look so short,” said Frodo.

There were snickers amongst the class. Malfoy shook his head, as if shooing the thought away.

Frodo nearly thought Professor Flitwick was offended. But Flitwick answered the question, “In answer to this enlightening question, no I am not a hobbit. I am a dwarf, and a dwarf is modern times is different than your dwarves in Middle-earth. We can’t help being short and that’s that.” Another hand rose, “Yes, Mr. Brandybuck.”

Merry questioned further, with candor, “But how can you be a dwarf? Dwarves don’t have exceptionally big hands like yours, professor.”

Professor Flitwick huffed.

Pippin added, as if on cue, “Yea and dwarves don’t look similar to hobbits. Hobbits can wear shoes too if they want, but they’d have to be pretty big to fit through the doors.” More snickers were heard throughout the class.

Professor Flitwick shouted, “That’s enough from the three of you! Let’s not waste time talking about height and move on with today’s lesson.”

Frodo folded his arms, convinced he did his part. He was pleased with himself for starting a conversation that perked his interest, even if it was snide and cheeky. The very thought made him snicker behind his teeth, if only for a moment.

By the end of the lesson, as the first years filed out of the classroom, Frodo caught up to Sam. He wanted to be polite towards this particular hobbit. Frodo did not know why he felt this way, but maybe it meant he could start an actual friendship with someone as shy as him.

“Hey, you’re Sam right?” asked Frodo. “What’s your blood status?” It was not a wise first question.

And yet Sam answered, timidly, “I’m a pure-blood. And I like Hufflepuff. I know what they say about Hufflepuff, but I don’t mind. It’s my house now.” He held back in recovery, feeling like he had said something wrong, “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine,” said Frodo, interested in this hobbit. “You chose your house.”

Sam staggered, but told Frodo bravely, “You shouldn’t have pulled that prank on me or the rest of the student body that’s male. That was very insincere and wrong of you.” He fought back against himself yet again, taking off then and there without saying another word.

Frodo looked stunned. After a moment, he had the notion that he wasn’t pleasing anyone. With that notion now stuck in his head, Frodo resolved to pranking all the girls next. He walked down the corridor with a few ideas up his sleeve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know about the Charms class schedule error on Tuesdays for first year students. I didn’t mean to make that error, but now that’s it’s in there, I suppose it stays there, but it may affect the future years Frodo has to take at Hogwarts on Tuesdays. That may not be so bad, but it may also affect Harry and his friends’ schedules. I’ll let it pass and move on.


	7. Mice to See You, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know I tell more than show in a lot of my stories. Well, the fact is I’ve been so afraid of showing in writing and that’s why I ended up telling. Hopefully I can resolve this, as I hope this chapter makes reading better. I’d like people to have visuals in my writing as well, so people know what I’m talking about. It was DoctorWhovian18, my friend over on Fanfiction.net, that pointed this out to me.
> 
> Here’s something I need to clarify: While I am aware the Harry Potter films had an official timetable, I’m sticking to the timetable found in the books. Also, I’m sticking to what the movies brought out: instead of two houses going to classes, like in the books, all four houses will be attending classes, those in the same year I mean. Yes, that would make it seem like there’s a lot of students, but maybe the classrooms are also large enough to fit everyone inside, plus we can add the hobbits in as well. One more thing to add, the movies made it seem like Harry and his friends go to class on Saturday, while the books specifically say Friday. I’m sticking to the five-day classes, instead of six-day classes.
> 
> One more thing I need to point out: because this chapter focuses more on the action going on and less on other scenes, I’ll have to wait until next chapter to do those scenes. So, this is a two-part chapter.

Wednesday afternoon, after Frodo’s afternoon classes were finished, there was an unusual appearance of mice running throughout the corridors and stairways at Hogwarts. Mainly, this mice attack was on all the students that were girls, including Hermione. As expected, many of the girls were freaked out over the mice invasion and ended up climbing up on chairs to avoid the skittering and scampering of mice. Those girls that came out of classes screamed and did their best to avoid the mice. However, the mice appeared spell-bound and would chase after any girls that entered their territory.

All of the girls immediately blamed Frodo, but some girls thought it was Fred and George’s doing. The mice did vanish before Mr. Filch, the caretaker, could round them up or Mrs. Norris eating them up for dinner. Eventually, the rumors were true: Frodo had been culprit of this prank, too. When one of the girls stammered towards him, all Frodo said as a comeback was, “Call it a ‘Welcome to Hogwarts’ gift from yours truly,” and he walked away with a smirk on his face.

After the fifth period classes were finished – Frodo and the other first year students weren’t recommended to take a fifth period class, only four for the week – Frodo walked around the Middle Courtyard, also called the Transfiguration Courtyard. While taking in his surroundings, he was met by George Weasley and his twin brother, who also had ginger hair.

“Frodo, this is my brother Fred,” said George.

“Hullo,” said Frodo.

“If you don’t mind, we’d like a word with you,” said Fred.

Frodo nodded. “Okay.”

George lowered his voice, “Somewhere more private.”

“I’m not in your house. You see the badge?” asked Frodo, pointing to the Ravenclaw badge on his blue jacket.

Fred turned to his brother. “He’s right about that, George. What should we do?” He pretended to think.

“Not the brightest, is he?” asked George to Fred, agreeing with him.

Fred told Frodo, “We’ll meet you at Classroom 11. It’s empty and unused.”

Frodo stopped the Weasley twins. “Wait. I still don’t know where everything is yet.”

George said, “Well then, by all means, tag along.”

Frodo couldn’t argue there. He quietly chased after Fred and George, who looked so much taller than he. The Weasley twins did stop and called Frodo a couple of times so he could catch up. The two led Frodo to the Ground Floor, where they found Classroom 11 in no time.

Inside Classroom 11, Frodo saw there were desks, a teacher’s desk and chair, and various other items stored throughout the room. It certainly looked empty, quiet, and echoic. Merry and Pippin were already in the room, waiting for Fred and George to arrive with Frodo. Frodo looked at the two, but still had a hard time remembering names and faces.

“Merry, Pippin, this is Frodo Baggins,” said George. “And Frodo, this is Merry,” he pointed to the brown-haired hobbit boy, “and Pippin.” He pointed to the golden-haired hobbit boy.

“Hullo,” said Merry and Pippin almost at the same time.

“Hullo,” said Frodo back to the two hobbit boys. He was still nervous about meeting new people, even though he remembered Merry a bit from his first night at Hogwarts. Frodo looked at the Weasley twins and the two hobbit boys, asking them, “So, why am I here?”

Pippin said, pointing to Fred and George on the spot, “It was their idea.”

“Actually, it was Fred’s idea,” said George, correcting the hobbit boy. “I think it’s brilliant.”

Fred explained to the three hobbit boys. “George and I have had a serious talk. We think that you three should accompany us on a grand pranking scheme against Mr. Filch, and then at our brother Ronald Weasley.”

“And why would I be interested in pranking Mr. Filch, and your brother?” asked Frodo, confused and serious. He didn’t sound interested in the idea, didn’t feel good about it doing group pranks either. The whole idea behind the plan, even though he hadn’t heard it, sounded both ridiculous and mad.

“Our brother’s easy to prank,” said Fred.

“Mr. Filch, on the other hand, may prove to be a challenge. But if this works it will benefit all of us,” said George.

“I’m sorry. I work alone,” said Frodo. He was about to leave the room when Fred and George stopped him, shutting him inside the classroom. There was no other way out now. He was trapped with the Weasley twins and… well; he wasn’t sure what Merry and Pippin were capable of just yet. Frodo promptly told Fred and George, being completely serious, “Please, let me pass.”

“Not until you hear our plan first,” said Fred.

“Fine, what is it,” said Frodo. He had enough going on than to be bombarded by the Weasley twins.

Fred and George looked at each other first. Then Fred laid out the plan for Frodo, Merry and Pippin: “The plan is this: Merry will be lookout, informing me and George every instance and whether the plan is successful. Pippin, you will create a diversion, preventing Ron and Harry from investigating the scene. As for Frodo, you have the biggest role in George and I’s diabolical plan.”

Frodo saw George stand watch of the door. Feeling a bit claustrophobic Frodo turned to Fred again, who had more to say to only him now:

“Frodo, can you do this for us four?” asked Fred.

“O-kay, but I still don’t know where I come in,” said Frodo, still unsure of the plan and whether it would truly be a success.

Fred glanced at George, who had a confident expression on his face, and then looked at Frodo again. “Your part, Frodo, will be to give Mr. Filch a good reason to enter the fifth floor corridor. George and I will do our part. Your job is to convince Mr. Filch to come up to the fifth floor.”

“Won’t you give me any excuses to make to Mr. Filch?” asked Frodo, still unsure of the plan.

Fred shook his head. It was George’s turn to say something to Frodo, “Nope. We’re depending on you to come up with a good excuse – reason for Mr. Filch to come to the fifth floor corridor.”

“Just make sure you don’t follow Mr. Filch into the corridor, Frodo,” said Fred. He turned to all three hobbit boys. “Now, does everyone get the plan? Remember your roles, do your part, and it will be a success.” He turned to his brother. “George, you may now open the door.”

George nodded and did as instructed. Frodo left Classroom 11 first, with Merry, Pippin, Fred and George following. Fred closed the door to Classroom 11; a moment later, Frodo saw the Weasley twins, Merry and Pippin dart off in different directions. Frodo peered up at the ceiling in frustration and annoyance. Why had he agreed to this plan? It was stupid. A moment passed when he remembered that Fred and George were waiting for him to find Mr. Filch. Frodo darted down the corridor in search of the caretaker of the castle.

o-o-o

As Merry waited behind a wall at one end of the corridor, Pippin ran out and caught Harry and Ron off-guard. Pippin pretended to be panting and flustered. He did it so well that Harry and Ron felt sorry for him.

“Pippin, what is it?” asked Harry.

Pippin came up with a story fast. “Well, I met Hermione and the way she told me the uses of Dragon Powder made my blood boil.”

“Yeah, Hermione can be annoying. She’s mental,” said Ron. He asked, curious, “By the way, have you seen Fred and George anywhere?”

“Yeah, where are they?” asked Harry, now curious and suspicious as to why it was so quiet.

“You and Merry were with Fred and George last. You must know where they are,” said Ron, accusing Pippin flat out.

Merry whispered behind the wall, “Pippin. Come on. You told me you were brilliant at this.”

Pippin, as if on cue with Merry’s words, pretended to be very sick. He coughed and sputtered, clutching his stomach in agony. “Oh, my stomach. I think I ate something bad. Yea, I need to go to the hospital wing right now.”

“Funny. You weren’t sick a moment ago,” said Harry, suspicious.

Pippin grabbed Ron’s robe, pretending to be more sick, “Please, you need to get me to the hospital immediately! My head aches… my stomach aches… I think I’m going to throw up or something… yes, it’s coming fast…”

“Good work Pippin,” whispered Merry, charging down the other corridor, hoping that Harry and Ron didn’t see him at all.

Pippin collapsed on a knee or two, pretending to be further ill, “I can feel the light coming… oh, it’s so bright… any minute now… oh…”

“Okay, git. We’ll take you to the hospital wing,” said Ron, flustered and flat out annoyed. “But I can assure you, you’re mental as a toad.”

“Come on,” said Harry, grabbing Pippin by the neck of his jacket.

Pippin remembered, and stopped pretending to be sick. He had a cheery smile on his face. “Wait. I think it’s passed.” Pippin checked his stomach and admitted, “Yup, it’s passed. It was just gas.”

“Really? I didn’t smell anything,” said Ron, not convinced.

Harry murmured to Ron aloud, so even Pippin heard, “Maybe he’s covering for Fred and George.”

“Yeah, they’re probably up at the fifth floor corridor right now,” said Ron, murmuring back even louder than Harry.

Pippin stopped Harry and Ron again. “Wait. Let’s go on an exploration of the castle. I know all the shortcuts. You’d be lost without me.”

“How? We’ve only been here for almost four days,” said Harry, suspicious.

“He’s bluffing, covering for Fred and George. He has to be,” said Ron.

“But I know a shortcut to get to the Astronomy Tower,” blurted Pippin, sounding truthful enough.

Harry and Ron eyed him with heavy suspicion. Curious if the hobbit boy knew what he was talking about Ron asked him, rather demanding, “Show us.”

“Okay. It’s this way,” said Pippin, leading Harry and Ron in the direction opposite from Merry. He noticed Harry and Ron following him at a close distance, while still talking to one another.

o-o-o

Merry’s legs ached by the time he reached Fred in the fifth floor corridor. Merry felt like he ran a great distance and was now panting furiously, like his heart couldn’t stand the pressure, pumping loud enough for his ears to feel the pain and ringing sensation.

“I… have to… tell you… something…” Merry rested his hands on his knees, trying to relax.

Fred placed a comforting hand on Merry’s back. “It’s all right. You can tell us. How did the plan go?”

“Swell, I think,” said Merry, feeling the oxygen returning slowly to his body.

“You think?” asked George, who came around the corner. “What happened, Merry?”

“Harry and Ron suspect you’re up to something. And Pippin was about to give away where you two were when he pretended to be sick,” said Merry, with an honest voice.

“You mean they’re coming this way? Doesn’t Pippin know how to tell a story, that doesn’t involve directing people to our location?” asked George, alarmed.

“He says he’s still working on it, but I have more experience than he does,” said Merry. Then he remembered, feeling jealous rage in his heart. “Now come to think on it, Frodo has more experience than me.”

Fred said, callous, “Well, don’t let Pippin get away with this.”

“Relax George. I’m sure Frodo and Pippin knows what they’re doing,” said George, doing his best to calm his brother.

Merry looked at Fred and George, worry lines crossing his forehead, “I do hope you’re right.”

o-o-o

Frodo’s legs ached as he searched the corridors, stairways, and courtyards for Mr. Filch. He searched every room and corridor, making sure not to miss any place. He dare not check the other Hogwarts Houses, or else risk points. It’s not like he could sneak into the Slytherin Common Room and find Filch… maybe he could. No, that would be impossible. He shook the thought off. No, it had to be someplace obvious. Not the boat house, not the Viaduct… wait, Frodo hadn’t checked the Viaduct yet. Maybe Filch was there. Knowing his plan, Frodo darted back up and down stairways until he found the way to get to Building F.

“Filch must be there. I’ve looked everywhere else,” said Frodo to himself, between huffs.

o-o-o

“This is not the way to the astronomy tower!” cried Ron.

“Sure it is. You see this courtyard we’re in,” said Pippin.

“We’re in the transfiguration courtyard again,” complained Harry. “Were you planning on taking us around in circles, Pippin?”

“No,” said Pippin. “Well, I mean yes. But look, you can see the astronomy tower from here.”

Ron shook his head. “I’m going to find Fred and George.” He walked about a few feet when he heard Pippin’s voice.

“I wouldn’t do that,” said Pippin, feeling a leg tremble.

“Why? Are you covering for them so they wouldn’t let me into the fifth floor corridor?” asked Ron.

“Well, yes and no,” said Pippin.

“Tell the truth,” said Ron, serious.

Pippin felt like he was about to explode. He wasn’t good at this covering up and pretending to be innocent. Then it all came out at once. “Fred and George are concocting a plot against Mr. Filch. They’re going to pull a prank on him on the fifth floor corridor.”

Ron smirked, pleased he had gotten the rat. “Thank you, Pippin. Now was that so hard?”

“Are you all right?” Harry asked, distress showing clearly across Pippin’s face.

“Fred, George, Merry and Frodo are counting on me to keep you two from finding out about Fred and George’s plan,” said Pippin.

“We’ll see about that,” said Ron, dashing off across the green grassy courtyard. He glanced back once to see if Harry and Pippin were following. They were.

o-o-o

Frodo’s heart skipped a beat, leaving him to stop and breathe for a little while. He was close to Building F now. Filch’s voice definitely sounded loudest here. He was somewhere below the stairs, mopping up a mess. Once his heart stopped beating so rapidly, Frodo straightened himself up and entered Building F. He stopped at the top of the stairs, peering down at a man with grey hair, pale eyes, and wearing a rugged long brown jacket, brown vest, and brown trousers; this man had to be Filch. Filch complaining in muttering sounds over the students that made the big water puddles on his clean stone floor. Frodo cleared his throat. Filch’s head craned up at him in a slow, solemn way, making sure to keep his glare fixed on the hobbit.

“What is it, boy?” asked Filch, clearly not in the mood for a prank.

Frodo pretended to act innocent. He was a natural at this. “Well, word spread that you were the best cleaner in all of Hogwarts.”

Filch was suspicious. “This had better not be a joke.”

“Oh, it’s no joke,” said Frodo. He continued his act, hoping to warm up to Filch’s best interests. “I’m new here,” that was part was true, “and I’ve heard a lot about you. You always keep the clocks clean, the statues polished, the floors mopped and swept. It’s a great honor to meet you, Mr. Filch and in person, too. No one is better to clean the castle than you.”

Filch place a hand on his hip, pleased to hear all this about him. Maybe the students were finally turning around. “Is that so? Yes, I am a fine cleaner.”

“That’s why we’re celebrating your years of success with a party up in the fifth floor corridor. Surely, the man of the hour wouldn’t want to miss his own party. It’s all for you,” said Frodo. He was surprised his lying little mouth could make up a story like this, and in such quick time.

“Well then, I certainly wouldn’t want to miss this party,” said Filch, putting his mop back in the bucket. “By all means, lead the way.”

“Oh, I’m still getting to know the castle.” This much was a true statement for Frodo. “Would you mind leading me?”

Filch shrugged. “Oh, why not? This had better be a party.”

“Oh, it is. It’s a blowout that we’re celebrating. We wouldn’t want to deny you this honor,” said Frodo. He continued his lies with detailing the party, some of the guests that would be there, making sure to avoid telling Filch about Fred and George. He was lucky Filch didn’t suspect anything, for Filch was ecstatic and pleased that people were finally seeing him for who he was and not pulling anymore pranks on him.

o-o-o

Ron huffed and puffed when he reached the fifth floor corridor. Boy, did he want to find out what Fred and George were up to. Harry and Pippin ran as fast as their legs could carry them, but the distance they were going nearly winded them. Ron was running faster than they thought and with determination too. By the time Ron, Harry and Pippin reached Fred, George and Merry, who was still on lookout by the corner, Fred and George shushed Ron, Harry and Pippin.

“Frodo’s bringing Filch here,” whispering George.

“You’re pulling a prank on Filch at the start of term?” asked Harry, a little too loudly. Fred, George and Merry shushed him.

Fred pointed out the prank device in the center of the corridor around the corner. “You see that prank device over there? It’s called Loki’s Revenge. When Filch stands towards it and examines it, I’ll cast a spell on it to make a mini-swamp.”

Merry shooed them with his hand. “Shhh! I hear voices.” Everyone stood back behind the wall. “It sounds like Frodo and Filch.”

Around the corner from where Fred, George, Merry, Pippin, Harry and Ron were standing behind, Frodo and Mr. Filch entered the corridor, past a wooden doorway on the Grand Staircase leading to the Fifth Floor. Frodo was still talking to Filch, lying to him flat out and with candor.

“Well, here we are. I really should be going now,” said Frodo, about to run off.

Filch grabbed Frodo by the neck of his collar, forcing the hobbit boy to walk backwards to him. Filch still had a suspecting eye on him. “Now, now. I’m heading this way, to the fifth floor, to see if there’s a party and you’re coming with me.”

Still feeling Filch’s grasp on his neck, pinching his skin a bit on the back of the neck, Frodo managed to cry out, “Then by all means, let’s go in together.”

Filch opened the door and shoved Frodo through it. Frodo’s feet stumbled over each other, yet he kept his balance. They had entered a stone-walled round room with a black marble floor and large lit black-framed lamps, which were embedded on either end of the stone railing before the staircases. Filch left the door alone then, allowing it to swing shut on its own in a smooth but almost hard fashion. Frodo tore down one flight of stairs, with only five steps; he looked back and could see that Filch was speeding behind him with ease, catching up fast as if he wasn’t out of breath. After leaving the Round Room, Frodo and Filch had made it to the Fifth Floor Corridor.

“Well, bye,” said Frodo, charging down the corridor. He could see Fred poking his head out at the other end.

Frodo sped down the hallway. Just as Filch examined the corridor, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “There’s no party here.”

Frodo stopped before a small orange package in the middle of this part of the corridor. He glanced back at Filch and said, “Sure there is. Wait until the guests arrive.”

“Why you-”

It was too late. Frodo ran a good short distance away from the box as Fred murmured, “ _Incendio._ ”

Frodo spun around as a mini-swamp appeared in the middle of the corridor, but not enough to cover it. Filch was in disgust and frustration, understanding now that there was no party to celebrate his success as the school’s caretaker; just another prank he knew set off by Fred and George, and Frodo was part of the plot to set a prank on him. Only now, Frodo and Filch were both standing in the swampy part of the corridor: Frodo’s feet and halfway up the bottom of his legs wet, with green slime caking the thick curly hairs on the tops of his feet; Filch’s shoes and trousers were also now caked in the swamp’s green slime and other mess. Filch gave Frodo a look that would curdle milk. Frodo could only give him a guilty smile, knowing that he was in deep trouble.

Fred and George managed to flee down the other end of the corridor towards the portrait of Timothy the Timid, with Harry, Ron, Merry and Pippin close on their trail. The last thing they wanted was to be caught by Filch on their first week of term.


	8. Mice to See You, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the second part and conclusion of the “Mice to See You” sequence for this story. Also, read below to see Frodo’s four hobbit house mates’ names – they’re OCs – and their worlds. Yes, hobbits can also be in other worlds besides Middle-earth. It wouldn’t be the first time this has happened.

There wasn’t a shortcut through Timothy the Timid’s portrait, who proved to be a very shy man. So Fred and George led Harry, Ron, Merry and Pippin by way of the hospital tower corridor. It was a very long hallway. They didn’t stop until they were on the fourth floor hospital tower corridor. Panting furiously, Harry was happy to be away from Filch, but then so were Merry, Pippin, and Ron. Fred and George were reveling in the moment.

“That was brilliant!” said George, after a pause.

“If only the teachers didn’t have the instructions on how to get rid of the Loki’s Revenge swamp. We need to make our own swamp, George,” said Fred.

“That’s not a bad idea, Fred,” said George, ideas running at a rapid pace in his head.

“Where’s Frodo?” asked Harry, looking about but not seeing the hobbit boy.

“Maybe he got away from Filch,” said Ron.

Harry shook his head. His eyebrows furrowed with concern over Frodo’s disappearance. “No, Frodo would have followed us by now.”

“Maybe he’s lost somewhere in the castle,” said Pippin at random.

Merry gave Pippin a sharp glare. “Pippin, I’m sure Frodo wouldn’t forget us.”

o-o-o

Merry wasn’t far off. Meanwhile, back up in the fifth floor corridor, Mr. Filch moved his wet and grimy shoes out of the mini-swamp. Filch gestured with a hand for Frodo to follow him. “Come now, boy. We’ll get one of the teachers. They’ll know how to get rid of this swamp.”

Frodo couldn’t believe this. Where were Fred, George, Merry and Pippin? If he was getting into trouble, because he knew this was a group effort, he didn’t want to be punished alone. Frodo looked behind him, hoping the four would show up…

“Come on, boy,” Filch repeated, clearly annoyed.

Frodo, startled, snapped his head towards Filch. Finding he was shorter than he thought, Frodo ran across the mini-swamp. Some places were deeper than others, reaching Frodo’s knees in no time. Carefully moving about the mini-swamp, Frodo made it on to the drier parts of the stone floor, running up to Filch at a hurried pace before he was in deeper trouble.

Filch added, as his shoes slopped across the stone floor, “Are you in trouble? Oh yes, big trouble and on the first week, too.” He cracked a wicked grin, proving that he enjoyed watching students get into trouble.

Frodo was trembling. This was the last thing he wanted to do. As he followed Filch back up the small steps to the door leading back to the Grand Staircase, Frodo knew right then and there he shouldn’t have let Fred and George insist he pull this prank on someone, worse a grown-up. He admitted, truthfully, “I’ll never pull a prank on grown-ups again.”

Filch grinned, more by his efforts of punishing students. Once back on the Grand Staircase, Filch dragged Frodo up the stairs, careful to avoid the vanishing steps. Frodo looked about the place as he heard Peeves the Poltergeist causing trouble down the Sixth-Floor Corridor, before poking his head through a doorway.

“Ha ha ha! Ooh, ickle Firstie in trouble,” said Peeves, dancing on the walls.

Filch jabbed an index finger at Peeves. “Watch yourself, Peeves. I’ll come after you as well.”

“Ooh, I’m so scared,” mocked Peeves. He cackled for a while, at least until Filch dragged Frodo past the door to the seventh floor.

After leaving the antechamber entrance hallway, Filch dragged Frodo down the corridors on the seventh floor. Frodo could tell that Filch didn’t like him or any students, as he kept pinching the skin on the back of his neck hard and uncaring. It was a firm grasp, too firm, that Frodo did not like at all. Frodo hardly noticed where they were heading, when Filch stopped before a closed office door. The West Tower, Frodo learned as called the Owlery, door stood nearby. Frodo knew this because he could hear owl hoot somewhere beyond the door; the owl hoots were all over the place, which meant that Frodo’s owl Prim was also in there, too.

Somewhere behind the door he and Filch stood, Frodo heard Flitwick’s happy voice, “Come in.” Filch gladly shoved Frodo inside, as he closed the door behind him. However, Filch still kept a firm grasp on the nap of Frodo’s jacket collar. “Mr. Filch, what happened?”

“This hobbit’s been causing trouble. I suspect Fred and George Weasley are responsible, but this little twit made a great lie, telling me that I was to be commended for my efforts with a party on the fifth-floor corridor. Turns out it was a prank called Loki’s Revenge, the mini portable swamp,” said Filch, already infuriated.

Flitwick stifled a laugh. “Well, I will take Mr. Baggins off your hands. I’ll get rid of the swamp on the fifth-floor corridor afterwards. Thank you, Mr. Filch.”

Filch jerked his hand off of Frodo’s collar hard, making sure to give him a hard pinch. Frodo responded with an “Ow!” He massaged the back of his neck as Filch left Flitwick’s office. Relief washed over Frodo’s face, making him feel better to be away from Mr. Filch.

Flitwick shook his head, as Frodo examined his feet and legs. The green slime was almost dry. “Now Mr. Baggins, normally I would respect Fred and George because they are good students. I will continue to do so, but let this be a lesson to you in the future. Respect the teachers and staff here at Hogwarts. We are not here to cause you trouble and we certainly expect the same from you. Is this clear, Mr. Baggins?”

Frodo considered his options. Was there any real choice? “Am I still being punished, professor?”

Flitwick nodded. “After the display you showed me on the first day of class, I say you deserve it. But you don’t seem like a bad student, you’re just taking a bad road. Therefore, I will deduct five points from Ravenclaw and you will have detention with me every day for two months, but not during Quidditch or the matches, beginning this weekend. I know you are a good student and I just want to make sure you know that. Your detentions will be here in my office. Your detention will end sometime in the beginning of November.”

“Yes sir,” said Frodo, feeling sad and still mad at Fred and George for convincing him to pull this prank. At the same time, he couldn’t blame himself over why he was being punished. It was bound to happen at some point. He bowed his head and strode towards the door, feeling defeated.

Flitwick stopped him with a reminder. “Oh and Mr. Baggins, do wash your legs and feet.”

“Sir,” said Frodo, thinking better to take his advice. He left Flitwick’s office, making sure to shut the door softly after him. He grimaced at the sight of his grimy lower legs and feet. Maybe it was better he head to the Boys Lavatory now. Best to head to the one on the sixth floor, since the fifth floor currently had a mini-swamp flooding a good meter of the first end of the corridor. Frodo chuckled behind his teeth as he walked down the corridor, in a way pleased the prank had worked out all right.

o-o-o

At nine o’ clock that evening, when Frodo was in the study tower part of the Ravenclaw boys’ dormitory, Prim the brown owl flew in from the open window. Prim dropped a parchment envelope, sealed in red wax, onto Frodo’s table. Frodo absentmindedly petted Prim around the head and neck, something she liked him to do.

“Thank you, Prim,” said Frodo, breaking the seal and opening the envelope. Inside he found a folded letter from his mother. Taking care to unfold the letter, Frodo read the inked handwriting to himself. The more he read, the more he didn’t want his mother nagging on him, even in writing.

_My Darling Frodo,_

_You father and I just got a letter from Hogwarts, about your latest prank. Is something bothering you? Are they being kind to you, treating you fairly? I know this is all new to you, but you must understand that we love you and want what’s best for you, including your education. Detention is something that occurs in schools during those days, but I hope you don’t have to keep having them. Your father and I know in our hearts that you are a good boy, so I hope you do well at Hogwarts._

_Write me back sometime when you’re classes are done._

_Love You My Dearest Son,_

_Mama_

His mother’s latest letter annoyed him to a point. Was all everyone cared about was his education? Did they not care about how he must be feeling? Frodo knew he didn’t have a lot of friends, if any – more acquaintances than friends – and Fred and George were the last people he wanted to talk to right now. Even he didn’t want to have a chat again with Merry and Pippin, since they were part of Fred and George’s ‘marvelous’ prank. Still, he didn’t want to upset and worry his mother. So, to ease his mind for the night, Frodo duly wrote a reply.

_Ma,_

_My first week at this… new school I’m attending is very welcoming. Everyone’s either treating me as if they’ve seen me before – the Muggle-borns I mean – or acting like I hardly exist. Lotho’s here, too, and from what I know of him and his family, the Sackville-Bagginses, they aren’t ones to be trusted. So far, Lotho hasn’t picked on me… yet. He’s in Slytherin House._

_Onto happier news: I’ve been sorted into Ravenclaw House. I like this house and its common room, but my house mates don’t particularly like me. They’ve avoided me since the last prank I pulled on them, and now I’m the most unpopular hobbit boy in Ravenclaw and in the school. At least Harry Potter’s got his reputation set. He’s the most famous wizard at this school, and everyone likes him. I’ve got to prank him next._

_Anyway, you already know I have detention with Professor Flitwick for two months, starting with this week. I don’t know when the first detention’s going to be. I promise I won’t prank adults again. That wasn’t fair and it makes me think better of adults._

_Well, that’s all for now. I hope you and Papa enjoy the evening. I’ve got Astronomy next at the Astronomy Tower. It’s at midnight, but I won’t stay up too late after class._

_Your Son,_

_Frodo_

With his reply finished, Frodo set his quill down on the table. He told Prim, “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.” Prim hooted, as if she was telling Frodo to return soon with a treat.

Frodo flew from his chair towards the stairwell. He could see his other house mates, the hobbit boys, also studying in the mini tower before the Ravenclaw Hobbit Boys’ part of the dormitory. Frodo continued on his way as he caught the confused gaze of one of his house mates. Returning to the Ravenclaw Boys’ Dormitory. Frodo immediately approached his bed and pulled out his trunk. It still felt heavy, leaving him slightly out of breath after pulling it out from under his bed. Taking a breather or two to rest, Frodo unlatched his trunk and opened it. Inside, he found his huge stack of parchment envelopes that his parents’ handed to him a day before arriving at Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters. They had a lot of envelopes, and so gave to Frodo the new stack, telling him they would send more if he needed them. He grabbed an unopened envelope, before latching his trunk again and returning it underneath his bed.

Returning to his study area in the Ravenclaw Hobbit Boy’s Study Tower, Frodo felt relief to see Prim still perched on the table. Planting himself on the chair, Frodo neatly folded the letter he just wrote and stuffed it inside the envelope. After sealing the envelope with the Baggins stamp, something that he received from his father two days before they set out for Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters, Frodo passed his letter to Prim. Prim snatched the envelope in her beak. Knowing her destination, Prim flew into the air through the same open window. Frodo looked on as Prim flew further and further away, straight through a yellow rippling light that blasted in several different directions in the night skies above. Once Prim was no longer in sight, Frodo returned to his homework.

o-o-o

At midnight, Frodo had Astronomy at the topmost level of the Astronomy Tower. In his satchel were all his supplies for the class, including his very own telescope. Frodo and the rest of the first years, from all four houses, were in this class and the tower was large enough to fit them all, like any other classroom and office in Hogwarts. Merry and Pippin wanted Frodo to sit with them, and even had an empty seat for him. Frodo shook his head to show them he was still mad at them for the prank they performed on Filch.

Frodo had made it to class on time, as he had for his other classes without getting lost once. And after the prank pulled on Filch in the fifth-floor corridor, it seemed all the first years were congratulating him. Even Harry and Ron were staring at Frodo with admiration, in spite of Frodo getting detention with Professor Flitwick. Hermione gave Frodo a look that would curdle milk; he happily chose to ignore her. Frodo kept to himself at the back of the class, in a snug corner that felt both comfortable and kept his distance from the crowd of students. Frodo and the first years’ professor, Aurora Sinistra, started the class.

“Welcome to Astronomy. Astronomy, you will find, is similar to what Muggle astronomers study: the stars, moons, and planets. The appropriate time we’ll start these classes is at night, preferably when the night sky is at its peak. Now, you must all have acquired a telescope,” said Professor Sinistra.

Hermione and Frodo pulled out their telescopes, raising them up in the air to show their teacher.

Professor Sinistra looked delighted to see the two pocket telescopes. “Good. We’ll start with something simple: finding the brightest star, the North Star…”

After the lesson was over and the first years’ homework assignment was given to them, Frodo yawned a great yawn. He was exhausted from the day’s and night’s activities. Too much went on in the afternoon to let him know he had enough for one day. As he headed down the Astronomy Tower with the other first years, Frodo nearly avoided Merry bumping into him. Merry and Pippin were in a competitive race to be the first to reach the Gryffindor Tower before anyone else. Frodo ignored the two, continuing his slow pace back to the Ravenclaw Tower. He was found by Terry, Michael, and Anthony, who were delighted to see him, in spite of their tired faces.

“You look like you need a group. Why not join ours, Frodo? We’re heading the same way anyway,” said Terry.

“No thanks,” said Frodo, tired but serious.

“Come on, Frodo. After the prank you helped pull on Filch, it would be an honor for you to join us, as friends,” said Terry.

“We heard you were involved and came up with one of the best stories to start the year off with a bang,” said Michael.

“All right, as long as you stop nagging me,” said Frodo, crankiness showing in his voice.

“We wouldn’t nag you, Frodo,” said Anthony, playfully. “We know you mean well.”

“You hardly know me,” said Frodo, repeating what he said a few days ago.

“That’s true, but we’ll get to know you,” said Michael.

“Come on. We should head back to the Ravenclaw Tower, before Filch catches us,” said Terry, walking a little faster. The other boys and Frodo followed, definitely watching the corridors after leaving the Transfiguration Courtyard for any sign of Filch.

The four Ravenclaw boys were lucky they weren’t caught. Frodo ran as fast as his legs could carry him, but felt them aching fast. Terry, Michael and Anthony were too fast for him and he was becoming lost by the minute. Michael did return for him, slowing his pace to help Frodo keep up. Only when the two found Terry and Anthony did they also find the Ravenclaw Tower on the seventh floor.

Relieved to be back inside the Ravenclaw common room, Frodo was the first to head immediately to the boys’ dormitory. Already, his four other Ravenclaw hobbit boy house mates were present and talking amongst themselves. They looked at Frodo with curiosity. Frodo thought they were going to talk to him, but then he was too tired to think of anything else. As he sat on his bed, putting his satchel down next to his dresser, one of the Ravenclaw hobbit boys approached him. This hobbit boy had dirty golden curly hair on his head and feet.

“I heard what happened today with you and that prank on Filch. Well done. I’m Stewart Wesselbee,” said the hobbit boy in introduction, extending a hand.

“Hullo,” said Frodo, taking his hand, “I’m Frodo Baggins.” He released Stewart’s hand. “Are you from the Shire?” Stewart had a blank expression on his face. Frodo continued, “You know, Middle-earth?”

“No. I’m from Maple Valley,” said Stewart.

Frodo now donned the blank stare. “What? Where’s that?”

“It’s a flat land, a flat world. There’s nothing but maple trees there. Unicorns come sometimes to visit us, girls and boys. It’s quite a friendly hobbit community, but there we’re more commonly called Halflings,” said Stewart. He pointed to the twin hobbit boys with golden hair. “You see Tobold and Aselbard Greenwood? They’re from this world called Aradia: a large part of the North Isles, their homeland, has hobbits, while the South Isles – also in Aradia – doesn’t have many hobbits but more Men.” He pointed out the brown-haired curly headed hobbit boy, whose bed was by the door across from Stewart’s bed, which was next to Frodo’s. “Magnus Catterstock – we call him Manx – lives on the South Isles. That’s all their world is made up of really: nothing but islands and water. They’re sea dwellers and river folk. They know how to swim, or so they told me.”

“I see,” said Frodo. He wasn’t sure if he would remember all their names by dawn.

Stewart asked next, “Can you swim?”

“No, I can’t,” admitted Frodo. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to apologize. Well, let me know when you pull the next prank on Filch,” said Stewart, returning to his bed.

“I don’t think I’ll be pulling anymore pranks anytime soon, at least not on the teachers and staff,” said Frodo. Shock and worry spread across Stewart’s face. When Frodo saw all the hobbit boys looking at him, Frodo admitted, plainly, “It just doesn’t feel right. And now, because I have detention with Professor Flitwick, it’s better that I don’t upset the teachers. They have enough on their plates as it is, without me causing anymore trouble.”

Stewart shrugged. “Oh well. It was good while it lasted. What a way to start the year off right!”

Frodo said nothing and got ready for bed. The other boys and hobbit boys in his house were also preparing to go to bed. Frodo politely told his house mates goodnight, at which he was greeted by a string of goodnights from both dorm rooms. The Ravenclaw boys in this dormitory left the curtains that divided the two dorm rooms open that night, feeling as if they were beginning to get along. Frodo slept peacefully that night, much to his surprise and wonder. After he awoke from a quiet dream, Frodo lay in his bed, staring up at the stone ceiling. The soft whipping of the wind against the stone walls nearly lulled him back to sleep, but he got up to see the sun peaking out behind the mountains. It was going to be a good day, or so Frodo hoped.


	9. Intolerable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As for what DoctorWhovian18 pointed out to me, which I will inform you, it’s not an error. I found it on Harry Potter Wiki and its official: the corridors connecting the Clock Tower with the Hospital Wing are called the hospital tower corridors. I thought I should clarify this before everyone started freaking out.
> 
> Fair warning: there’s a scene of bullying in this chapter, much of it caused by Lotho. And I’ll be clear; I don’t like bullying as I was bullied in the past. So I do hope someone teaches Lotho a lesson and fast.

Frodo did not misbehave, as he had done on his first day of Charms class. Professor Flitwick noticed the change, as Frodo hardly said a word in class that Thursday morning. Frodo was so shy that Flitwick and many in the class wondered what had overcome the hobbit boy. Sam slugged Frodo’s arm softly, hoping to get Frodo’s attention, but all Frodo did was grin a happy grin and continued his wand movement practice without saying two words to him. Lotho’s thoughts reeled with ways of catching Frodo off-guard, now that he wasn’t the most mischievous hobbit in class anymore, or so he expected at the time. As Professor Flitwick told the first years on their first day, he wouldn’t allow them to practice spells until sometime later in the term.

After Charms class, Frodo noticed Lotho sneering at him. Frodo knew Lotho was up to something, but the way he eyed him made Frodo nervous. Was Lotho plotting something that clearly involved him? Frodo hoped this wasn’t the case.

Next was Transfiguration in the Middle Courtyard. Frodo did not want to be late for this class. He heard Professor McGonagall was strict and would deduct house points from any of the four houses for misbehavior and other troublesome manners. Following the other first years, Frodo made it to the Transfiguration Courtyard and entered Classroom 1B. It was his first day of Transfiguration class and Professor McGonagall was already in the classroom when Frodo and the other first years arrived. Even though Professor McGonagall had turned her desk into a pig and back again, it turned out they had a long way to go before being able to attempt that. Instead, they were given a match and asked to transfigure their matches into needles.

The first thing after Frodo had the match was Frodo examined it, wondering how he would be able to transform the match into a needle. He knew what needles looked like: he had seen his mother with a needle when she sewn lace and other cloth. Now, he needed to transfigure his match into a needle. How hard could it be?

The transfiguration on the match proved harder than Frodo thought. He wasn’t getting the spell and he knew it, especially since his match didn’t make a single transfiguration. Frodo rested his forehead on top of his arm in defeat. He was in near tears, feeling like he was a failure. Then his mind somehow figured out the correct way to say the spell. He glanced up at his desk. Whipping the tears that were falling down his face, Frodo tried the spell again, this time aloud and with determination in his eyes. Just like that, the match turned into a needle, which looked similar to the needles his mother had at home.

Professor McGonagall approached him and held up Frodo’s needle. He was surprised that he was the first to transfigure his match into a needle, since everyone else was busy working on the spell. McGonagall told the class, “You see? This is how it should be done.” She passed the transfigured needle back to Frodo. “Well done, Baggins. Five points to Ravenclaw.”

Frodo could hear gasps and grunts of shock and disproval around the class. Even Hermione was now more determined than ever to turn her match into a needle. Sam said nothing, shuffling his feet in an effort to calm down. He thought it strange that Frodo, who was perhaps the most mischievous hobbit in the school, could successfully transfigure his match into a needle halfway through the class. Sam shook his head, continuing to work on the spell, taking his time, as much as needed, to get the spell right.

Frodo looked at his wand in curiosity, wondering himself what he had been doing wrong and what he did right to get spells to work out the way he wanted. Unsure about whether he should transfigure the needle back into a match, and then reminding himself that McGonagall didn’t tell him that he needed to, other than what she had instructed, Frodo waited until the class had finished their transfigurations, which appeared doubtful. To pass the time, until Professor McGonagall gave the next instruction, Frodo read through his Transfiguration textbook.

As it happened, at the end of class, Sam and Hermione were the only other two who had successfully transfigured their matches into needles. Professor McGonagall showed them to the class, delighted also to have them as her students. When everyone was packing up their books and walking out of class, Lotho approached Frodo in the hallway. Lotho had been waiting for Frodo behind the door.

“Meet me in the Boys’ Lavatory on the fifth floor. And be sure you’re alone, Baggins,” said Lotho, jabbing his finger at Frodo’s chest. He then darted off.

Although lunch was soon, Frodo ignored his stomach and chased after Lotho back to the Grand Staircase. He found Lotho darting up the stairs at a grand pace, making it difficult for Frodo to figure out where he went. By the time Frodo had reached the fifth-floor corridor, which was empty, Lotho had disappeared. As Frodo searched and searched, he was grabbed by his shirt into the Boys’ Lavatory and pressed against the nearest wall. Frodo couldn’t move and Lotho was staring him in the face. He was so much taller than Frodo that Frodo felt powerless.

“How is it that you’ve been getting points, hmm Frodo Baggins? You, being the most clever and mischievous hobbit there is, and now you’ve gone soft. I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t ever forget. Don’t – _mess_ – with – _the_ – Sackville-Bagginses!” Lotho dragged Frodo inside one of the stalls. There, he set Frodo on his knees, flushed the toilet, and dunked Frodo’s head in the toilet water.

The second Frodo’s face hit the swirling, smelly water he did his best not to breathe it in. This proved difficult. Everything moved in slow motion. Was it minutes since his face had been in the toilet water? He was unsure until everything moved quicker again and Lotho pulled him out of the swirling whirlpool, his face soaking wet. Frodo gasped for air, a moment into resting his hands on the sides of the toilet bowl. Lotho said something last, but Frodo didn’t catch it. Frodo heard Lotho’s footsteps step out of the tall green stall, before leaving the boys’ bathroom past the front door.

The stall door closed behind Frodo, leaving him feeling alone and shaken over what had happened to him. Not bothering to put the toilet seat back down, Frodo moved away from the toilet bowl, finding a spot to sit on the cold stone floor and rest. As he leaned his back against the nearest wall, tears streamed down his face. While his face was soaking wet from the toilet water, the water ran down his jacket, vest and shirt, making small drip stains on his breeches. What had he ever done to Lotho to make him suddenly want to pick on him? Hoping no one heard him, Frodo sobbed; he was amazed at how quiet his sobs were, but then they became uncontrollable. He couldn’t stop them from falling. What had he done wrong?

Sam’s voice rang clear on the other side of the Boys’ Lavatory door: “LOTHO, YOU EGO-CENTRIC COWARD! YOU’LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU’D DONE TO MISTER FRODO!”

Mister Frodo? Was Sam so formal that he had to call him this? However, Frodo was too occupied sobbing and going over his experience to care less of what anyone was saying. The Boys’ Lavatory door opened. Frodo could hear Sam’s voice again, talking to someone. He sounded so confident Frodo couldn’t believe it. Sam was normally the shy one.

“I think he’s in here,” said Sam. Frodo could see hobbit feet. That must be Sam’s. “I knew it. He’s in here, this one.”

Frodo cocked his head as the stall door swung open, away from him. Standing before him was Sam, and with him were Professors Snape and Quirrell. Frodo did his best to hide his tears in front of the Head of Slytherin House and upcoming Potions teacher, but Snape grabbed him by his jacket collar and dragged him out of the stall.

Snape told Frodo, “Ten points from Ravenclaw.”

Frodo was flabbergasted. He spoke while shedding tears, “What? Why? I didn’t do anything wrong. It was Lotho…”

“For your cheek and your mischievous behavior,” said Snape. “Mr. Sackville-Baggins did you a favor. I say you owe him something in return. And don’t give me that look, Baggins. I expect you in class on time tomorrow morning. Wash your face and head to the Great Hall immediately.”

Frodo’s hands still shook, but now he was overwhelmed, upset and furious. This wasn’t his fault. Why then was Lotho getting all the credit? As he reached one of the sinks, Frodo couldn’t stop his hands from trembling. Turning on the faucet, Frodo lathered his hands with soap and used the soap to also help cleanse his face and neck. After that, he washed the soap off his face and neck with fresh, cool water. Frodo opened his eyes and looked at Sam, who handed to him a clean towel.

“Hurry up, Baggins. Or I shall deduct further house points,” said Snape, waiting impatiently.

Frodo’s hands shook so furiously, yet he grabbed the towel from Sam’s hands. He stopped when Sam tried to help him hold onto the towel, giving him a look that said he didn’t want to be touched. Sam silently understood and stepped back a few inches. Frodo whipped his face, which now felt better and cleaner. He was in no mood to talk about what happened, and after what Snape did, he felt more determined to keep what happened to him quiet. However, he couldn’t contain the tears, which kept shedding even as he whipped his face with the towel. Once he was done, Sam took the towel from him.

Seeing the cautious look on Sam’s face, Frodo felt pity and said, calmly between sobs, “Do you want to walk me out?” Even his voice was shaky.

Sam nodded and gently grabbed his arm. His grasp was firm, in a way to keep Frodo from falling. Quietly, Sam led Frodo out of the Boys’ Lavatory. Snape and Quirrell followed after them.

o-o-o

Frodo hardly knew where Sam was taking him until they reached the Grand Staircase. By then, Frodo had to pay attention and watch his step. When they reached the Ground Floor, with Professor Snape keeping a close watch on him and Frodo, Sam led Frodo directly into the Great Hall. More tears shed, streaking down Frodo’s face so quickly.

Inside the Great Hall Sam saw, as he had during breakfast and lunch that first week, students from other houses mingling and sitting at each other’s tables, while others decided it best to sit at their own house table. Thinking it was time for Frodo to interact with another house – Sam himself wasn’t sure how this would work out in the end – Sam led Frodo over to the Hufflepuff table. Sam caught a glimpse of Snape and Quirrell heading directly to the staff table, Snape not paying any mind to him or Frodo. Frodo looked up in alarm, but said nothing as Sam sat down beside him.

Before the two hobbit boys were an assortment of lunch food, including some sandwiches with lunch meat stuffed inside. As Sam picked up a half of slice of his own sandwich, he saw Frodo not eating, rather staring at his meal as if contemplating on whether or not to eat. Sam was confused.

“You should eat somethin’. It’s best for you to keep your strength up,” said Sam.

“I’m not very hungry,” admitted Frodo. His stomach growled, but he ignored it.

“You can’t go on not eating anythin’. At least have a bite,” said Sam, doing his best to encourage Frodo into eating something, even if it was a small bite.

Frodo gave Sam an inquisitive, curious look. He was making sense, but at the same time Frodo felt a bit offended. Hadn’t Sam realized what he just went through? Why was eating so important after what he experienced? Hoping to ease the hobbit boy’s mind, so Sam wouldn’t nag him anymore, Frodo grabbed a slice of the sandwich and took a large bite, before setting it down. He ate slowly, feeling his stomach’s queasiness after filling up a bit from the toilet water. A moment into eating his sandwich, Frodo rested his arms on the table, not paying much attention to Sam and more to his own thoughts. He couldn’t help reliving the traumatic experience in his mind. It was still fresh in his mind, as clear as day. Was there no other way to end this reliving the worst experience of his youth? Sure, some tears were shedding, but he felt an empty pit in his chest, while his stomach did not feel so good in that first moment.

And yet eating made him feel better. Frodo felt some cheeriness return inside himself. Okay, maybe Sam was right about eating lunch, but he didn’t quite understand what had just happened. Frodo, on the other hand, did not want to run the whole scene by Sam, not until he got his bearings. Though the hobbit boy did seem friendly and kind; at least he knew what to do in that situation.

o-o-o

After dinner that evening, and because Frodo took a bath before lunch ended to wash the toilet water out of his hair, Frodo went straight into the hobbit boys’ side of the Ravenclaw Boys’ Dormitory and got ready for bed straightaway. He didn’t speak to Stewart, Terry, or any of the Ravenclaw boys that evening. He wasn’t in the mood and it showed. Even though the Ravenclaw hobbit boy Stewart wanted to talk to him, see what was the matter, all Frodo could say was “I’ll be fine by morning” and “I need to get some sleep”.

However, it seemed everyone was on his case about the incident, as if they knew what Lotho had done. Terry, Michael and Anthony did their best to tell him that Fred and George might get Lotho back for what he’d done to him, or Frodo could pull a prank on him this time. Their encouragement made Frodo force a small happy grin, but that was about it. All Frodo could do was cry into the night until he fell asleep. His parents, he wondered, must have heard what happened… or else he would have to write a letter to them himself about the incident. Either way did not sound like the right option, at least not at that time.

Thinking over what he had thought that morning, he came to the conclusion that his good day had gone sour fast. All he wanted was for things to turn out right for him. Would that ever happen? He wondered…


	10. A Hobbit's Introduction to Magic (Class)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DoctorWhovian18, over on Fanfiction.net, gave me ideas for pranking and some advice. So I thank her for that.

Frodo awoke that Friday morning feeling a little more like himself, but changed. He couldn’t forgive Lotho for bullying him, almost for no reason. Frodo knew though there was a reason for everything. And there was Sam. He at least stood up for him the other day. But…

Letting his thoughts trail off on their own, Frodo got out of bed, changed into one of his blue Hobbit school uniforms and left the Ravenclaw Boys’ Dormitory. Entering the Ravenclaw Common Room – Frodo couldn’t get enough of the wide airy room – Frodo approached the notice board and took a look at the schedule. It still said that all Ravenclaw boys – hobbits and Men – would be attending the same classes as the other first years, which meant he had double Potions after breakfast.

Frodo was looking on the Hobbits’ timetable, which was a second sheet and now had a complete schedule for the Ravenclaw Hobbits and, Frodo assumed, the other Hobbits in the other three houses. What was different on Fridays for all Hobbit first years was they had the same introductory class in the afternoon. As expected, this introduction course was for twelve weeks. Convinced with the new schedule for all Hobbit first years – they were the only Hobbits attending Hogwarts this year; yet, they were a small group altogether – Frodo exited the Ravenclaw Tower.

o-o-o

In the Great Hall, Frodo searched for the Hufflepuff table. As he made his way to the front of the four tables, Frodo found Sam, sitting by himself and reading a newspaper with the title **The Daily Prophet** on the front. Now was his chance to speak to Sam over yesterday’s events. Frodo approached Sam, who stared shyly up at him. Sam’s feet shuffled under the table at Frodo’s approach.

“Sam,” said Frodo. It was his turn to be confident, but he couldn’t understand what made Sam so shy this morning. Maybe he knew all along. “Thanks for saving me yesterday, even though you were last minute. Not that I don’t mind. It’s just you weren’t the sort I expected to save my life from Lotho.”

“You’re welcome, but… I’ve known Lotho from growing up in Hobbiton. He’s always picked on me,” said Sam, his voice shaking with nervousness. He was back to his shy self.

“You’re not normally confident. Are you, Sam?” asked Frodo.

“Uh,” said Sam, finding it difficult to say anything. “I have… difficulties talking with strangers.”

This hurt Frodo.

Sam apologized right then and there, “I’m sorry, Mr. Frodo.” He wanted this tense conversation to end.

Frodo knew the conversation was dead. All he could tell Sam, at the end of it, was, “Well, good luck. You’re in a good house.”

Sam nodded his approval, returning his gaze to the article he was reading. Hearing Frodo’s footsteps walk away made Sam regret shooing the hobbit boy. Nervousness crept over Sam, making him shuffle his feet more under the table. Did Mister Frodo mean everything he said? He seemed so kind, and yet Sam knew he was a troublemaker. But the day before was different. Frodo needed help. The last thing Sam wanted to do was leave Frodo to Lotho’s bullying. It was the least he could do. Sam didn’t understand the interaction between him and Frodo. They were mere acquaintances. Besides, Mister Frodo was in Ravenclaw and him in Hufflepuff. Weren’t the two houses rivals? Sam returned to his newspaper, not wanting to know the answer to that question.

Frodo looked over his shoulder. Sam was ignoring him, but had a quizzical look on his face. As soon as Sam glanced at him, Frodo snapped his head back to the Ravenclaw table. Finding an empty spot, Frodo sat down. He was still surprised at how his breakfast showed up on the gold plate and his gold goblet was filled with pumpkin juice. He ate his food in a way to calm his nerves. However, his thoughts returned to Sam, causing him to look back at the hobbit boy. Frodo didn’t know it yet, but maybe he could find a friendship, comes to terms with this hobbit. At least Sam was as shy as he… maybe that wasn’t a good enough reason. Frodo returned to his food and ate as much as he wanted. Once again, no one paid much attention to him. He was used to it by now, even though some part of him wanted the company.

Merry and Pippin, feeling determined to help Frodo in spite of his avoidance, and especially after Lotho’s bullying on Frodo, decided it was time that Lotho got a taste of his own medicine. Becoming fast friends with Fred and George Weasley, Merry and Pippin had a package of chocolate that Fred had given to Merry. They were now ready to spring their trap. Merry and Pippin approached the Slytherin table, right in Lotho’s face, who was sitting by himself.

“Lotho, where’s your posse?” asked Pippin, curious.

“Not up and about. Why do you ask?” asked Lotho, not in the mood to have a conversation with him.

Merry chimed in, livening up Lotho with a really good story. “Well, you see, we know you mean well. I mean, after all, Frodo is nothing compared to your greatness.”

Lotho grinned. Was he really better than Frodo Baggins? Intriguing thoughts passed his mind. “I’m glad a Brandybuck, such as you, is turning around. Mother will be so pleased to hear this news.” He pointed to Pippin, hoping he would agree, “What about you, Peregrin Took?”

“Oh, I agree,” said Pippin, continued Merry’s story. “No one could ever compare to you. You’re the best Baggins there is. And to prove our gracious loyalty, Merry and I are giving you this limited edition box of chocolates. They’re a specialty from my parents. My mother made them to commemorate your great success.” Merry pass the box of chocolates to him first, before Pippin passed the box to Lotho, who snatched it greedily.

Lotho eyed Merry and Pippin with a suspicious gaze. “Wait. This isn’t a trick?”

Merry shook his head. “Oh no, Lotho. Frodo’s been put in his place for sure, after the pranking he pulled. He won’t do it again anytime soon.” He wasn’t sure how correct these statements were. He really had expected Frodo would be pranking someone by now, not taking it as hard as he was. He cracked a grin, keeping his thoughts buried so Lotho wasn’t suspicious of him and Pippin.

“Good. Someone’s set that Baggins in the right place,” said Lotho, pleased with his handiwork. He shooed them away, as if he was ruler of this school. “Now, off you get. Leave a proper hobbit to his box of chocolates.”

“Oh yes Lotho. We…”

“Pippin, come on,” said Merry, dragging Pippin away from the Slytherin table, before he gave away too much. Merry whispered when they were out of ear-shot and back to the Gryffindor table, “You still need to work on your stories.”

“I’m willing to learn,” said Pippin, relieved to be away from Lotho.

“I know, Pippin,” said Merry, taking a seat at the same time as Pippin.

“I hope he likes his chocolate,” said Pippin. He whispered to Merry, “And I hope this gets back at him for what he did to Frodo.”

“Yea, what’s up with him? He hasn’t pranked anyone since Wednesday,” said Merry.

“He was caught. We escaped,” said Pippin.

“I know that, Pippin,” said Merry, looking at a newspaper. He peered over at the Ravenclaw table, where Frodo acted so shy and unwilling to talk to anyone. He worried for him. He did not know why, but there was something about Frodo that made him feel like they had met before. Maybe it was a passing thought.

o-o-o

After the incident yesterday, followed by what happened with Professor Snape, Frodo certainly did not want to be late for Potions class. In fact, he may have been too early as he was the first to arrive.

Snape gave him a sharp look when Frodo came into his class. “Trying to prove you’re goody-two shoes, Baggins. You’re early.”

“Yes Professor,” said Frodo.

“Take a seat,” was the last thing Snape said, before searching through his potion bottles.

Frodo did as he was told. Finding a spot to sit at one of the tables, Frodo set his cauldron down in front of him. Snape gave him a cunning sneer, just as the rest of the class filed in. Unexpectedly, and much to Frodo’s disdain, Snape pointed him out:

“See here, class. It seems there’s already a studious hobbit in class. Did you expect me to reward you with house points for early attendance, Baggins?” asked Snape, his voice cold and unwelcome.

Snickers floated around the Slytherins. Just then, Lotho appeared with boils on his face. Merry and Pippin did their best not to laugh, but showed smirks on their faces that they couldn’t hide. Fredegar shook his head in sheer annoyance, even when everyone laughed at Lotho. Frodo stared at Lotho in confusion, wondering who put boils on his face. However, Lotho knew right away who to point out.

“I’m sorry for being late, professor. It was all their fault!” He pointed out Merry and Pippin, but then sneered at Frodo. “They were convinced by Frodo Baggins to give me chocolates. This is all their doing.”

Snape didn’t do anything to Lotho, much to everyone’s surprise. As Lotho sat down, Snape glared at Frodo, avoiding Merry and Pippin’s gazes. “So Baggins, you’ve proven to be a mischief maker yet again. Two points from Ravenclaw.”

Frodo was wide-eyed. He didn’t do this prank. “But I didn’t…”

“And another point taken for your cheek,” said Snape. “Don’t deny it, Baggins, or risk losing another point for Ravenclaws.” He gave the roll call when the class had finally arrived.

Frodo avoided Snape’s gaze. Only the class became worse afterwards, mostly targeted at the Gryffindors; Frodo was the only one for the Ravenclaws being called out by Snape. While Frodo felt a small relief for not being the only one Snape picked on, Frodo felt pity towards Harry but only a little. While he had been called out, Frodo watched the scene: Harry was being called out more than he, while Frodo was being ignored by Snape throughout the entire class. Snape didn’t even come over to his table as the class progressed to check and see how they were doing.

No, he was wrong: when Snape came over to his and his partner’s table – Frodo’s partner was Fredegar Bolger, who, like Snape, didn’t approve of troublemakers and kept eyeing him suspiciously to make sure he didn’t do anything wrong – Snape called Frodo out on his and his partner’s potion, even when Frodo had the right ingredients. Frodo hated the class, and more so Snape and Lotho for their actions towards him. Frodo’s conclusion over his first day of Potions class: he and Harry were fairly even, but who had the worst draw that morning? Frodo couldn’t tell for sure. The odds were fairly close for either.

o-o-o

Once again Terry, Michael and Anthony were avoiding him. Frodo had lost eight points for Ravenclaw in the first week. He wasn’t having very good luck. After Potions ended, Frodo climbed up the dungeon stairs by himself. Fredegar sped past him, hoping to reach the Great Hall before the food had gone, not that the food ever really vanished. Next was the introduction class, specifically for hobbits and hobbits only. Unlike Frodo’s other classes, which were packed, this introduction class would likely be a small group. Good, Frodo didn’t approve being around crowds; so maybe this class would be better for him.

Coming out of the spiral staircase, back inside Building F, Frodo spotted Merry and Pippin chatting in a corner, towards the enormous double doors. Although he could have congratulated them for their efforts for getting back at Lotho, but thanks to Lotho, Frodo was doubly mad at the two hobbit boys. He said nothing to them as he made his way upstairs to the Tapestry Corridor. He’d rather eat lunch than talk to anyone. It was thanks to Snape that he was in this foul mood.

o-o-o

As soon as he had finished eating lunch, Frodo made his way to the first floor. From there, Frodo journeyed down the corridor until he came to Classroom 1A, where all the hobbit first years were gathering. He wasn’t late, as a few more hobbit students entered the classroom after him. Frodo found a seat in the middle of the class. His teacher was a portly hobbit witch with graying hair and wearing an earthy brown dress. When she was ready to start, beginning without the stragglers, which included Lotho and a few Slytherins, the hobbit witch spoke to the class:

“Welcome to the Hobbits’ Introduction to Magic! I am a Professor Cherryhill. For the next twelve weeks, we will be studying magic and how hobbits use it in their everyday lives. As you know, underage hobbits aren’t allowed to use magic outside of school until they are seventeen and outside their homes until they are thirty-three. This should give you all plenty of time to practice until you’ve come of age…” She was interrupted by Lotho, who burst into class, “Mr. Sackville-Baggins, you’re late. Five points from Slytherin House for your tardiness.”

Lotho, dim-witted in those first couple of seconds, picked on Frodo, “But it was Baggins who made me late.”

“Mr. Baggins has been sitting here this whole time,” corrected Professor Cherryhill, stopping Lotho’s excuses right then and there. “Not another word. There is no excuse for tardiness. Now sit down before you fall down.”

Lotho sat on a chair in the back of the class, crossing his arms and pouting. Frodo cocked his head towards Lotho and chuckled to himself. Finally, Lotho was being punished and he had no excuse this time. Frodo shook his head as he slowly turned his attention back to the class.

Professor Cherryhill continued the lesson: she explained the different levels of sorcery. She also explained quite clearly that this introduction class would have an exam to see which level each hobbit student was at in their sorcery and where they would be placed for future reference. She informed her class that in O.W.L. year, they would take another exam on their progress and also whether they should move onto the advanced class, or to just not use magic so heavily later on in life.

After her lecture, she gave everyone a different stuffed bear to practice on. Frodo was unfamiliar what the inanimate toy was. It looked so lifelike and yet… cute? Frodo asked about the stuffed toy, as those not from Middle-earth laughed at him. Professor Cherryhill silenced the class, and then explained what she wanted her students to do: use any spells they learned so far on the stuffed bear on their desk. And no, it didn’t have to involve using wands.

While the rest of the class was alarmed by this – using no wands sounded forbidden to most of the class – Frodo grew frustrated. Why wasn’t his class doing anything? Determined, Frodo used his hand magic to turn his stuffed bear into a live toad. The toad hopped around from desk to desk, scaring hobbit girls and some hobbit boys that did not like toads; those that screamed and yelped clearly did not live in Frogmorton, so named for the frogs and toads that lived in the swamp nearby. Frodo used his hand magic again to make the toad stop at Lotho’s desk, hopping up and down on top of it to scare the hobbit boy. Professor Cherryhill used her wand to levitate the toad back to Frodo’s desk.

“Please turn your toad back into a stuffed bear, Mr. Baggins,” said Professor Cherryhill. She was being positively serious and firm. “Or risk losing House points for Ravenclaw.”

Frodo, not wanting to risk losing more house points, used his hand magic to transform the toad back into a stuffed bear. Cherryhill dropped the stuffed bear back on Frodo’s desk. Due to Frodo’s mischief, Cherryhill called him out, but also gave him some credit:

“As you can see, class, Mr. Baggins is well adept at hand magic. Now, before class ends, I want the rest of you to practice, by whatever means necessary, using magic on your stuffed bears.” Cherryhill moved about the class, assisting whoever needed help.

Frodo smirked. It felt good getting back at Lotho. Maybe he still had some mischief in him after all.

o-o-o

When the hour was up and class ended, Frodo felt relieved. Now he had the weekend off. Only one thing remained, that he reminded himself immediately he needed to do on Saturday: attend Professor Flitwick’s detention. Great.


	11. Detention with Flitwick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter, DoctorWhovian18 gave me an idea which involves Frodo interacting with Sir Cadogan. Should be fun. :)

Saturday mornings proved packed with homework and studying. Since no one had classes on Saturdays and Sundays, it made things run more smoothly. In the Great Hall, as Frodo ate his eggs, his brown owl Prim flew down and delivered Frodo a note from Flitwick. The note was written in fine inked handwriting:

**Mr. Baggins,**

**Meet me in my office today after breakfast. We’ll begin your detention shortly after you’ve arrived.**

**Professor Flitwick**

Frodo was happy his detention would be first thing. He could get it done and over with. But then he remembered: he would be doing detention with Flitwick for this month and throughout October. Frodo nearly sobbed and pouted, but minded his place when he realized there were people in the Great Hall with him. He collected himself quickly, eating faster this time. As soon as he finished whatever food he wanted to eat and downed the pumpkin juice in his goblet, Frodo stood up and left the Great Hall.

After a small journey up the Grand Staircase and down the seventh-floor corridor, Frodo knocked on Professor Flitwick’s office door. He heard Flitwick’s voice on the other side and opened the door as instructed. Peering in the office through the ajar opening, Frodo could see Flitwick with a Ravenclaw student, who looked like a second-year. Flitwick saw him and gestured with a hand for him to enter his office. The moment Frodo opened the door all the way, Flitwick stood up as did the Ravenclaw student, said their farewells and the Ravenclaw student left Flitwick’s office, seizing the door from Frodo and swinging it slowly shut behind him. Frodo looked back at Flitwick, who sat back down on his chair.

Flitwick gestured with his head to the chair, which stood directly across from his desk. “Have a seat, my lad.” The moment Frodo sat down, Flitwick said in dismay, “You haven’t improved.”

Frodo was confused. “What do you mean?” Then he remembered. “Look, I know I haven’t been doing Ravenclaw any favors. I…”

Flitwick waved a hand at him. “I’m not talking about points, Mr. Baggins. Although, I must say you’re the first student I have met whose caused Ravenclaw the most trouble with scoring points needed to win the House Cup, and in the first week too! This is one issue I have with you, as I figured it was you who has done this to our house.”

“I’m sorry?” asked Frodo, even though it wasn’t his best apology.

“I see you’re still a mischief maker. Becoming like Fred and George, aren’t you?” asked Flitwick, getting to the heart of his discussion with Frodo.

Now Frodo was really confused and annoyed. “What are you talking about? I’ve pulled pranks longer than Fred and George Weasley.” He wasn’t sure how much this statement was true; but hey, why not give it a go?

“Yes, or rather at the same time. But enough of that. The focus of these detentions is to make sure you don’t do any mischief making in class,” he continued, going over Frodo’s voice in an effort to stop the hobbit boy from protesting, “not upsetting any of the teachers and kicking you out of class for mischief making, and also to provide the needed effort in restoring your reputation.”

“Did you not hear what Lotho did to me on Thursday?” asked Frodo, peeved.

“Yes, I heard about that, but then you had it coming,” said Flitwick.

“But Professor Flitwick…”

Flitwick’s expression changed to cheery, stunning and annoying Frodo further. “Now, let’s get on with the detention. I wouldn’t want you to miss out on homework and relaxation.”

Even though he felt certain the teachers were out to get him too, Frodo nonetheless waited to hear about the detention Flitwick was giving to him. It turned out that his first detention with Flitwick involved Frodo sweeping the floor with a broom. To Frodo’s dismay, he was not allowed to use magic except to make the dust vanish, which Frodo did using hand magic and not once using his wand. Flitwick noticed this and commended Frodo for his efforts with using hand magic only. Frodo was getting quite good at it, now that he had gained some measure of control.

At the end of his detention, Flitwick stopped by his door, looked at Frodo and said, “Frodo, while I don’t think this a necessary part of your detention, but I feel that – after you do your time – maybe we can spend another hour practicing that hand magic of yours. What do you say?”

Frodo was stunned. He didn’t think anyone took his efforts seriously. Surprising himself, Frodo responded, softly, “I’d like that, professor.”

“Excellent. I’ll see you next Saturday, same time,” said Flitwick, opening the door for him.

Outside Professor Flitwick’s office, Frodo waved to the professor as Flitwick shut his office door. Frodo checked his hand and then grimaced at the thought of waving in front of a teacher. Why on earth did he agree to practice hand magic with a teacher, let alone a professor? The whole idea didn’t feel right, yet it was what Flitwick wanted to try with him. Frodo supposed the second hour with Flitwick wouldn’t be nearly as bad as his detention, but then Frodo wasn’t sure of much in this school. Maybe he was just losing his mind…

Frodo’s thoughts wandered as he made his way through the seventh-floor corridor. He wasn’t in the mood to work on homework, figuring he would do that sometime after lunch in his nest… well, the study area in the Ravenclaw Hobbit Boys’ Study Tower next to the Ravenclaw Boys’ Dormitory, if he was interested in being specific. He wasn’t, and would have rather chosen to call it the Ravenclaw Boys’ Mini Study Tower. Either way did not matter much to him. Still, he chose not to enter the Ravenclaw Tower just yet and instead turned to the part of the corridor that would lead him back to the Grand Staircase.

As Frodo took to wandering through the seventh-floor corridor, unsure if he was going around in circles, he heard a deep, but brave voice shout to him, “You there! Scallywag! Yes you! You look like you’re in need of assistance.”

“What?” asked Frodo, peering over a portrait hanging in the second-floor corridor. The portrait showed a knight in a suit of silver armor and a grey fat pony in the scene. Frodo asked the knight in the portrait, “Who are you?”

“Who am _I_?” asked the knight, as if it was a trick question. “Well, my gallant friend, I am Sir Cadogan. And I would _love_ to go on an adventure with you anytime. Maybe… right now.”

“No thanks,” said Frodo, walking away. He looked over his shoulder, right as he heard clanking armor crunch somewhere in the wall. Frodo stopped in his tracks, curious to see what the knight would do. It turned out Sir Cadogan was very clumsy, as somewhere behind the wall he tripped and crashed across the floor. Frodo couldn’t help but almost laugh, due to this. He ran up to the next portrait, just as Sir Cadogan re-appeared there, disturbing the people and animals in that portrait. Frodo asked Sir Cadogan, “Are you always a klutz?”

“A klutz? Ha!” spat Sir Cadogan. “Don’t be absurd, boy. I am Sir Cadogan, a brave knight with a noble heart.” He put a fist to his chest, close to his heart, right as his helmet’s lid fell in front of his face. Sir Cadogan gladly moved the helmet’s lid back up, so he could see Frodo.

Frodo chuckled. “Yes, I can see that.” Maybe it was better he do his homework now. “Well, I’ll see you.” He could hear Sir Cadogan wishing him well, but also following him. This he had not expected and so walked faster, only Sir Cadogan followed at a faster pace too, clanking and crashing across the floor in the wall as he walked. Frodo looked back once at Sir Cadogan, before he climbing the spiral staircase up to the Ravenclaw Tower.


	12. Ravenclaw Quidditch Try-Outs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this chapter, DoctorWhovian18 gave me a few ideas that end up in this chapter: Fred and George apologizing to Frodo, which is important here. Also LOTCR, who is also on Fanfiction.net, gave me the brilliant idea for this chapter: Quidditch.
> 
> I know it’s been pretty steady and not much character development has been going on around Frodo. I hope to get Frodo out of his moody state in this chapter, and the dream is going to trigger it. I know in life, away from the computer, it’s us that trigger the dreams, meaning our actions; whereas in my stories, it’s usually the dreams that trigger the action around the characters. Also, expect to see Ravenclaw Quidditch try-outs in this chapter.

Dreams are known for sneaking up on us, making us either feel excited and happy, or dark and depressing, depending on our actions that we do for the day. This was the same way that occurred with Frodo on the morning of the Ravenclaw Quidditch try-outs. This recent dream actually helped him snap out of his moody reverie.

_Frodo was in the entrance hall at Hogwarts. He made his way up the stairs and into the Great Hall, where the Sorting Ceremony was taking place. He had been put into Ravenclaw house and all the Gryffindors were cheering. Wait? Why were the Gryffindors cheering for the Ravenclaw house? Still, Frodo made it to the wrong house and was congratulated by Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George. He spotted a new face: she was Luna Lovegood of Ravenclaw._

_In the next instance, Frodo was sitting at the Ravenclaw table, talking to Luna, who was a year below him. It was such a peaceful conversation. He only remembered the really important details and they weren’t much to go on._

_Now the dream shifted over to Quidditch. He was on the Ravenclaw team, playing as Chaser. While playing and hoping to find the Snitch… wait, was he Seeker now? Frodo caught the Snitch… everyone cheered him on, chanting his name several times in victory. This was the happiest he felt and yet he was still a boy in many ways…_

Frodo lie in bed, frozen by everything that occurred in the dream. This was a happy dream and yet he was in a wizard school, where magic was the norm. Although he still wanted to leave Hogwarts and return home, hoping to get away from everyone, there was this feeling that maybe he’d been too hard on everyone. Oh, how he wanted to get back at Lotho again for what he did. It would take more than a toad to convince that slime to stop his bullying shenanigans.

Realizing it was Quidditch try-outs that Monday for Ravenclaws Frodo changed into his Hobbit school blue uniform and made his way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Arriving in the Great Hall, the first four people he saw were Fred, George, Merry and Pippin talking amongst themselves. Merry saw Frodo first and nodded, while Pippin waved cheerfully at him. Frodo gave a silent gesture, before approaching the Gryffindor table. He had to at least tell them how sorry he was for everything.

“Fred, George, Merry and Pippin, I want to apologize for my actions. I know I haven’t been the best judge of character. It’s just this is all new to me and I only found out a month ago that I was a wizard… a hobbit wizard.” Frodo was being sincere. That was a good first sign, and he meant it to, every word. “I know the four of you don’t mean harm, but you shouldn’t have run off like that. I didn’t know where to find you, and I was the one who got caught for our prank.”

“Yeah Frodo, we weren’t being too generous to you then either,” said George.

“What George is trying to say is we’re sorry, too. Friends don’t abandon friends and we haven’t been a good sport. We only told the others to run because we didn’t want to get caught by Filch,” said Fred.

“You could have run too, you know. Filch wouldn’t have caught you,” said George, admitting freely.

“It wasn’t the right thing,” admitted Frodo. Now he was sounding a bit like himself.

“The right thing?” asked George.

Fred shook his head, chuckling at the same time. “Frodo, you have a lot to learn.”

“Tell you what? Why don’t you meet us in the Viaduct Entrance when you’re done with Quidditch try-outs?” said George. “Doesn’t Ravenclaw have them at lunch?”

“Yes,” said Frodo. He smiled and waved at them, “I guess I’ll see you later then.” He saw Fred, George, Merry and Pippin wave back as he walked away. Finally, things may have been looking up for Frodo. He could tell he was going to have good friendships at Hogwarts. Then Frodo saw Sam staring at him, shaking his head while chuckling to himself. Frodo knew Sam was shy, but… did he have a comedic ruse about him? Frodo chuckled behind his teeth, grinned and waved at Sam before taking a seat at the Ravenclaw table. Frodo could never get enough of the food magically appearing before him.

o-o-o

Frodo ate a quick lunch. He had to reach the Quidditch Gate on time. He only hoped Fred and George were right that it was just Ravenclaw doing try-outs throughout the day. However, Fred and George could be misleading him as well. Finding his way onto the castle grounds, which at the time did not have a long bridge separating the castle from the grounds, Frodo found the path that led to the Gate to the Quidditch Pitch. He was stopped by an older Hufflepuff student, most likely a fifth year with blonde hair.

“The Quidditch Pitch is off-limits to first years,” said the blonde-haired fifth year Hufflepuff boy.

“But I was told by Fred and George that Ravenclaw Quidditch try-outs were today only,” said Frodo.

“Then you misinterpreted what they were telling you,” said the blonde-haired fifth year Hufflepuff boy. “Yes, Ravenclaw has Quidditch try-outs for today, but it’s throughout the week that trials will be held for positions this year for all houses. Now please, move along Baggins, and stick with your flying lessons.”

“All week? Thank you,” said Frodo. Not wanting to infuriate the fifth year Hufflepuff boy, Frodo walked slowly away from the Gate to the Quidditch Pitch. How could he not have guessed it? This wasn’t Fred and George’s fault, as they weren’t very specific, but his own in thinking that Ravenclaw had one day spent doing tryouts.

Just as he was about to leave, a second-year raven-haired Ravenclaw girl approached the Gate to the Quidditch Pitch. She stopped Frodo in his tracks. Again, with the height difference; when was this ever going to stop? The second-year Ravenclaw girl asked Frodo, “Are you heading to the Quidditch Pitch, too?”

“Yes, but the Hufflepuff student told me it’s off-limits to first years,” said Frodo, repeating what the fifth-year Hufflepuff boy said.

The second-year raven-haired Ravenclaw girl giggled and said, correcting him, “If that were true, then Dumbledore wouldn’t have permitted that ban lifted to all hobbits attending Hogwarts. Come on. I’ll help correct this Hufflepuff.” Making sure Frodo followed her Ravenclaw girl politely told the fifth-year Hufflepuff boy, “Excuse me, but why isn’t this hobbit in the Quidditch Pitch now? He is a Ravenclaw.”

“Yes, but I was told all first-year students can’t be on the Hogwarts teams at all,” said the fifth-year Hufflepuff boy.

“Who told you that? As far as I can remember, Dumbledore lifted the ban when he took the office of Headmaster,” said the second-year Ravenclaw girl.

“Well, I was told by… Fred and George. The gits,” said the fifth-year Hufflepuff boy. Deciding then he would need to recalibrate his thinking, the Hufflepuff boy told Frodo, “All right, you can go in. I just find it unbelievable that Fred and George would trick me like this.”

“They are a mischievous pair,” said Frodo.

“I know, and they told you the correct information. Unbelievable. I’ll have a word with them soon enough,” said the fifth-year Hufflepuff boy.

“Thank you,” said the second-year Ravenclaw girl. As soon as she and Frodo made it past the gate and were walking up the stairs, she introduced herself to the eleven-year-old hobbit boy, “I’m Cho Chang, by the way. I know we haven’t been introduced yet, but I was mostly avoiding you due to that prank. You really scared us girls last week.”

“I’m very sorry about that. I’ll be sure to choose my targets more carefully next time,” said Frodo, politely. Not wanting to offend Cho, Frodo introduced himself to her, “I’m Frodo Baggins.”

“Yes, you’re quite popular with the Ravenclaws. Our house hasn’t had a prankster before. You’re the first as far as I can remember,” said Cho.

“Why thank you. I try to succeed at my job as prankster whenever I can,” said Frodo, jokingly.

Cho giggled. “Yes. Here we are.” She led Frodo inside the gate to the Quidditch Pitch. There, she told Frodo to wait while she spoke with a group of Ravenclaw students older than Frodo. Frodo guessed the Ravenclaw student who Cho was speaking to was the Captain of the Ravenclaw team.

Eventually, Cho and the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain approached Frodo. The Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, a boy, was taller than either Cho or Frodo. At least Frodo wasn’t alone with height now. The Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain spoke to Frodo, “Normally, house teams don’t allow first years to try out for Quidditch, but you’re a different case seeing as you’re a Halfling. So, let’s see what you can do. Follow me out to the Quidditch Pitch,” said the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain.

As they approached a broom cupboard, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain handed to Frodo a short broomstick. He explained to Frodo, “This broom is a Comet 260. It’s a bit of a joke compared to other broomsticks, but since you’re a beginner, it’ll suit you fine.” He passed the broomstick to Frodo, who took it with curiosity and caution.

Frodo looked up at the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain and asked, “What am I supposed to do with this?”

“You had flying lessons this morning, didn’t you?” asked the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, knowing full well the schedule had shifted due to the teachers figuring out how the classes should go.

Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had a few classes together, and so on and so forth. It was back to normal schedule with only two houses per class. The hobbit first years was lucky they were a small bunch, but he knew they would be separated due to this new schedule.

Lucky for Frodo, he recalled this change, which messed with his thinking a bit. Collecting himself, Frodo admitted, “Yes, I have. I forgot.”

“Well, anyway, take this Comet 260, but be sure to leave it in here when we’ve finished trials for today. We’ll see how you do,” said the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain.

“Yes sir,” said Frodo, nodding.

The Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain closed the broom cupboard. Once this was done, he led Frodo out of the gate and into the locker room for Ravenclaw. There, Frodo found his locker and changed into a blue Hobbit uniform for Quidditch. It looked a little different from his regular school uniform, as there was a number on the back, followed by his name above the number.

After this was done, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain led Frodo and the rest of the trial Ravenclaw team to the Quidditch pitch. Frodo’s thoughts about height dissipated in this Quidditch stadium. He felt so small and everything was so large. He looked around for a moment, and then chased after the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain and the hopefuls out onto the middle of the green stadium floor. At least they were outside, but were that even a good thing? Frodo could hardly say. The only sport he knew how to play was golf.

The Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain explained to Frodo, “Quidditch is very simple to understand: you have three Chasers, two Beaters, one Keeper, and a Seeker. The Chasers handle the Quaffle, a large red ball, and try to put it through one of the three hoops.” He pointed out the three very high hoops on either side of the stadium. “The Keeper defends the hoops. The Beaters are responsible for beating two Bludgers – medium-sized leather balls with a nasty temper for knocking players off their broomsticks – and making sure to hit them away from their teammates. Now the Seeker handles the Golden Snitch. It’s their job as Seeker to catch the Snitch and earn 150 points, which ends the game and on most occasions wins the game for their teammates. Do you understand better now?”

“Sounds simple enough,” said Frodo. “How many people here know about Quidditch?”

“Only those that are around the wizarding communities and aren’t hobbits. Of course, the only known Hobbit to have been on the Quidditch team at Hogwarts was Bandobras Took, Bullroarer he was nicknamed, and he was in Ravenclaw. Bullroarer Took, as I heard the story, was a Seeker,” said the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain.

“He’s one of my great-great-great-great many times relative,” said Frodo.

“Oh. Okay, descendant of Bandobras Took, it’s time to see how you fare. What position would you like to try out first?” asked the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain.

Frodo thought. Seeker sounded good, but then maybe he could try out Chaser, “I think I’d like to try out for Chaser and Seeker.”

“You can only have one position. Cho’s trying out for Seeker, but you might as well give it a go. Who knows? We may need you as a reserve Seeker,” said the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain. “All right, we’ll try you for both positions.” Then he called everyone together for their first tryout.

After he clambered onto his borrowed broomstick, Frodo flew off into the air. He was trying out for the position of Chaser first, as the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain Ned Timbers told him. As soon as the whistle was blown, Frodo did his best to get into the heat of catching the Quaffle and passing it to his Quidditch trials teammates. However, when the Quaffle was thrown, Frodo was forced away from the competing Chasers, who grabbed the red ball and flew into the air faster than he. Frodo scanned the area for the Quaffle and at last found it on the other end of the Quidditch pitch. Before he was missed, Frodo zoomed off towards the Ravenclaw Chasers, who were already handling the Quaffle without him.

Ned called to Frodo, already frustrated with him, “Come on, Baggins! Catch the Quaffle!”

Frodo didn’t need this pressure. Well, he caught the Quaffle all right, but ended up getting socked in the nose as a result. He could hear the whistle blown, followed by his broomstick being lowered by Ned. Frodo felt dizzy. He was seeing colors spinning across his vision. Before he knew it, Frodo was in the Hospital Wing. He could hear Madam Pomfrey putting a spell on his nose:

“ _Episkey!_ ”

That did the trick, but then Frodo could taste warm blood streaming out his nose. When he finally awoke, Frodo could feel something up his nostrils; it felt like cloth. He touched his nose, and right away could feel the bridge of his nose in immediate pain.

“Ow,” yelped Frodo, softly. There was a bandage on his nose as well. Finding the cloths, Frodo pulled them out of his nostrils. He checked and found there wasn’t any blood: a good sign that his nose would heal fine. He peered up, only to find Ned staring at him. Ned had short brown hair, and like Frodo was wearing Ravenclaw Quidditch robes. “What happened?”

“The Quaffle hit your nose. You lost a lot of blood. Good thing Madam Pomfrey mended your nose. It was broken pretty badly. Well, you rest up. I need to return to the Quidditch Pitch, or everyone will wonder why I’m not there. If you want to compete again, we’ll have to try you out for a different position next time. You’re not very good as a Chaser,” said Ned.

“That’s good to know,” said Frodo, wincing. “I figured as much myself.”

“You should rest. You have the rest of the week to decide if you want to try-out again,” said Ned, taking his leave of the Hospital Wing.

Frodo rested on the hospital bed. He was still dizzy, but not as badly as he had been. Maybe it was better he take a little while to collect himself. The sound of footsteps woke Frodo up. Madam Pomfrey, an elderly witch who excelled at healing, moved towards him and cleaned him up a bit. In quick procession, she passed to Frodo a goblet filled with green liquid. At first, Frodo didn’t know what to make of the potion, but as he drank it down he immediately felt a clearing sensation in his head. Also, his nose felt better, less in pain. With this simple act helpful, Madam Pomfrey released Frodo from the Hospital Wing. Frodo darted out, catching up to Ned Timbers in no time.

o-o-o

As soon as the Quidditch trials were done for Ravenclaw that day, before the lunch period ended, Frodo had attained the position of Reserved Seeker for Ravenclaw. Ned figured Frodo would sit out as he wasn’t the best player to play Quidditch, but he reminded Frodo to keep practicing. Putting his Quidditch uniform away in the Ravenclaw locker room, after he had changed into his regular Hobbit school uniform, Frodo was approached by Cho Chang, who looked pleased.

“Looks like I’m Seeker this year,” said Cho, ecstatic.

“Congratulations. You did much better than I would have done,” said Frodo.

“I thought you did good, too. At least you can replace me as Seeker, if I’m injured or otherwise incapacitated,” said Cho.

“Yea,” said Frodo. “Well, goodbye.” He made his way out of the Quidditch Gate, not looking back to see if Cho was following him. She wasn’t, and that left Frodo in some relief. He didn’t like talking to girls that much, but then he found it hard to talk to anybody. Besides, Frodo had other things to think of, including his next class and finding Fred and George, wherever they were.


	13. Traversing a Secret Passageway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this chapter, DoctorWhovian18 - who is over on Fanfiction.net - gave me the idea where Frodo is shown a secret passageway, thanks to Fred and George.
> 
> Now for this chapter, since I know I was lacking showing and telling returned more in the last chapter, this chapter I tried to bring back the showing. But again it’s hard because I must have fallen out of it. Maybe when I get back in the mood, it’ll come back. But yeah, I’m still working on the showing aspect.

Remembering what George asked him about the Viaduct Entrance, particularly about meeting him and Fred there, Frodo traversed down the first floor. They would be waiting for him and he did not want to be late. While traveling down the Tapestry Corridor, Frodo spotted Fred and George by the stairway leading into Building F. When Frodo reached Fred and George, he stopped and rested his hands on his knees. He was panting furiously, but also feeling out of breath. George put a comforting hand on Frodo’s back.

Fred told Frodo, impressed and amazed, “Well done, Frodo. You’ve made it right on time.”

“Will you be all right, Frodo?” asked George.

“No,” said Frodo, now leaning against the stone rail.

“Oh,” said Fred. “Well, when you’re done recovering, we have something to show you.”

“It’s a secret passage we found the other day,” said George.

The Weasley twins waited until Frodo had recovered completely, even until Frodo told them he was going to be all right, before leading the hobbit boy down the first part of the staircase. They stopped at a stone floor landing at the bottom of the first stairs, where they approached the wall. Frodo didn’t understand what it meant. Were they supposed to wait for something, or was the wall supposed to move?

“It’s just a wall,” said Frodo, looking at nothing.

Fred corrected him. “You’re wrong there, my hairy-footed friend.”

Frodo became offended, a little. How was he, Fred and George automatically friends? Somehow, Fred understood and clamped a gentle arm around Frodo.

“Don’t be bashful, Frodo, or shy around us. It’s all right. We don’t mind if you join our little band,” said Fred.

“That is, if you want to. If not, we’ll understand,” said George.

At that, Frodo felt pity towards the Weasley twins. They seemed so sincere. He couldn’t disappoint them now. He told Fred and George, calmly, “No, I don’t mind joining you two now. I mean, we did set that prank on Filch. I may need your help later on with Lotho.”

“Then we’re glad to have you,” said George.

Fred inquired at their mission. “Now, about this secret passageway, before Filch comes…”

“Oh yes. Wands out, Frodo,” said George, as he and Fred pulled out their wand. Frodo did the same.

Fred said next, “Now, all you have to do to open this secret passage…”

George finished off his twin brother’s sentence, “…is you point your wand at the wall, tap it and say Dissendium.” He demonstrated for Frodo and said the incantation, “ _Dissendium!_ ”

Lo and behold! A large part of the wall moved back to reveal a secret passageway. The passage looked dark and foreboding, or so it was in Frodo’s mind. At least the walls still looked like stone.

Fred told Frodo, as he followed his twin brother, “Come on, Frodo. You have to see where this passage goes.” He entered the passage, just as Frodo ran past him and George. The stone wall returned to its first position on the wall, leaving the trio in darkness, if only for a moment.

When Frodo’s sight returned, he could see a couple of windows and flaming torches. Fred and George led the way, leading Frodo to chase after the Weasley twins. Frodo stopped behind George as Fred opened a portrait. Frodo poked his head out of the portrait hole, right as George moved so he could see. There was Filch, cleaning a broken vase. Fred pressed an index finger to his lips. Understanding, Frodo and George nodded, right as Frodo saw, to his surprise, George pulling out a brown ball from his trousers’ pocket. Fred made sure to keep the portrait ajar only slightly before George tossed the brown ball down the hallway. Once this was done, Fred closed the portrait. Frodo understood the meaning of the word ‘run’.

The three were halfway down the passage when Fred called to Frodo, in a whisper, “Frodo, down here.” He led Frodo through another portrait hole, where this time he, Frodo, and George arrived on third floor, away from Filch.

Shortly after Fred closed the portrait, Frodo found himself in an uncontrollable laughing fit. For once he wasn’t caught by Filch and it felt good. However, Fred and George gave him a look that practically said Frodo had gone mad. Frodo leaned up against the wall as he managed to control his laughter.

“That was thrilling. The last time I had a laughing fit was when I was stealing mushrooms off of Farmer Maggot’s farm,” said Frodo, overjoyed.

“How often did you steal mushrooms?” asked George.

Frodo admitted, truthfully, “Oh, for years now. My papa and mama don’t know it… well, they did catch me one time, but that was it. Ever since then I’ve been able to find a way to simply sneak the mushrooms into mother’s kitchen.” He chuckled guiltily, “Now that I’ve come to think about it, my mother’s fed up with me doing that. She even told me that if I brought in one more mushroom from outside, she wouldn’t do anything about it. They were my mushrooms. That stopped everything.”

Fred was amazed, again, with Frodo. “Wow. Frodo, I believe you’ve joined our ranks.”

“I thought I worked alone,” said Frodo.

“Well, that’s only if you want to. We just wanted you to share in our glory,” said George.

“All right. I wouldn’t mind learning from the likes of you,” said Frodo, pleased.

“It’s settled,” said George.

“But first, you need to gain the teachers’ trusts, if you’re to win the ability to prank anyone at any time,” said Fred. “That’s how George and I pull things off without a hunch.”

“And they don’t get us into trouble. They’re used to our mayhem,” said George.

“You just get away with this, without getting caught?” asked Frodo. Now he was worried. He was used to being caught by adults. Why Fred and George should get special privileges for their mayhem didn’t sit too well at all with him. “Without getting punished?”

George thought better then. “Well, unless you expect to get caught all the time and lose Ravenclaw points, it’s better this way. Besides, we wouldn’t want to see you expelled, Frodo Baggins. You’re our friend.”

“Yeah, you look like you could use some friends at the moment. Friends who wouldn’t give up on you during hard times,” said Fred. He added in his cocky way, “But that doesn’t mean we won’t tease you like we would any of our brothers. You could use some teasing.”

“I am an only child,” admitted Frodo, perking up. “I don’t know what it’s like to have brothers.”

“Well, consider George and myself your first brothers-in-arms, figuratively speaking of course,” said Fred.

“Works for me,” said Frodo. He could handle this now, but the part about him earning the teachers’ trusts he still wasn’t sure about. He thought the adults didn’t like children. Then there were his own parents: his father was respectable amongst the hobbits, but acted like a stern father towards him. His mother, now she knew how to take care of him and fuss him a bit too much. There were days when he hated the hassle. But still, she was his mother. At least with his father, Frodo knew not to mess with him. Not out of sheer love, but as a manner of respect. He still loved both his parents. The last thing he wanted was to see either of them… no, he wouldn’t think on it. He…

“Frodo, you coming?” asked Fred from down the third-floor corridor.

Frodo was lucky this time. There was an excuse to snap out of his reverie. “Yea.” He charged off down the corridor. Hopefully, he would arrive at his next class on time, without being late.


	14. Knowledge and Secrecy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this chapter, DoctorWhovian18 gave me the idea of Frodo having another conversation with the Grey Lady. So, I do want to thank her for all the ideas that have come up so far in this story.

Fred and George were true to their word. As soon as the coast was clear, they led Frodo to his next class, on time too. Frodo was grateful for this and told them, before he joined his fellow Ravenclaw first year students:

“I guess I owe you thanks, both of you, for everything,” said Frodo. He couldn’t thank them enough. “You pulled me out of my moody disposition. Or maybe it was the dream I had this morning…”

“Well, go on to class then,” said George.

Before Frodo proceeded onwards, he spun around and asked the Weasley twins, “Does anyone else know about the passageway, other than us?”

“Well our brothers Ron and Percy don’t know,” said George.

“Nor would we tell them,” said Fred. Frodo’s brow furrowed in a quizzical manner, leaving Fred no choice except to tell Frodo, hoping his effort would calm the hobbit boy, “Relax Frodo. We’ll make sure to tell someone we know about our secret passage.” He and George waved to Frodo, before proceeding down the corridor.

Frodo stared at the Weasley twins in disbelief. What were they planning? Surely they knew something he didn’t. Letting the matter go, Frodo entered his next class with the Ravenclaw first-years, who were learning with the Gryffindor first-years today. That particular class was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Frodo was relieved to be in a smaller class, and even more relieved that Professor Dumbledore changed the schedule, balancing it out to make it work for everyone.

Throughout the class, the nagging thought about letting Merry and Pippin in on Fred and George’s secret passageway rampaged through Frodo’s mind. The least the thought could do was stop, but then Frodo’s honesty got the better of him. As soon as class ended, Frodo caught up to Merry and Pippin. He had to tell them.

“Merry! Pippin! I have _big_ news…” Frodo was interrupted by Fred and George. When did they show up?

Fred told the three hobbits, “My guess is he would rather tell you about our secret passageway. You know Frodo, you really should inform us first before giving our secrets away.”

“Oh,” said Frodo, embarrassed.

George chuckled. “That’s all right. We’ll show them now.”

Fred asked Frodo, “Shouldn’t you be on your way to your next class?”

Frodo’s quizzical expression smeared once again across his face. They were leaving him behind? He didn’t want to feel alone, abandoned. The second he looked up, as George called him over, Frodo charged up to the Weasley twins and the two hobbit scoundrels. Fred and George agreed to show Merry, Pippin, and Frodo a shortcut to get to their next classes. Frodo was amazed in the end how quick these shortcuts the Weasley twins showed them were.

Frodo had to tell Sam about these secret passageways. Maybe Sam would be as excited as he was now. After his last class was done and the rest of the late afternoon was open, Frodo searched the castle corridors for Sam. True, they were still acquaintances, but the least Frodo could do was show Sam something he’d never seen before. Frodo found Sam with some older Hufflepuff students. They were studying together.

“Sam! Sam!” Frodo stopped upon hearing the older Hufflepuff students laughing at him. He understood his mistake. “Oh. Maybe I should…”

“No, that’s fine,” said Sam. He spoke to the older Hufflepuffs in a farewell, before accompanying Frodo down the corridor. “What is it, Mr. Frodo?”

“I thought you were…”

Sam corrected him, casually, “The Hufflepuffs were only helping me with some homework. I don’t really know them that well.”

“Ah,” said Frodo, perking up.

Sam asked, hoping to get to the point, “So, what were you goin’ to show me?”

“You need to see this for yourself,” said Frodo. He was glad they were near the Tapestry Corridor. As they walked, Frodo did a lot of the talking. He was surprised how good of a listener Sam was… maybe he was too good. Sam shuffled his feet and kept his mouth shut, making Frodo worried about him a bit. At last they reached the wall Frodo was looking for. “It’s here.”

“Where?” asked Sam, searching but not finding anything. “All I see is a wall.”

“Does everybody know our secret?” asked George. Frodo and Sam turned to see Fred, him, Merry and Pippin. The four looked annoyed.

“Relax George. I’m sure Frodo has a very good reason for telling everyone,” said Fred, jokingly.

“I nearly told a few people,” said Frodo, being honest.

“Well, you nearly gave our secret away, twice,” said Fred.

Frodo bowed his head in disappointment. Fred and George chuckled, with George admitting to Frodo, “It’s all right, Frodo. Everyone makes mistakes.”

Frodo gestured to the wall, at which Fred tapped it and said the incantation. Once the opening was revealed, Frodo turned to Sam, who looked terrified. “Come on, it’s just an empty corridor.” That only made Sam more nervous, hoping to calm him, Frodo asked, “What is it?”

“I don’t want to go down there. It ain’t right. I’m… afraid,” admitted Sam, feeling hopeless.

“Frodo, you coming?” asked Fred.

Frodo whirled around at them, looked at Sam, and, after debating to himself on what to do, told the Weasley twins, “You two go on with Merry and Pippin. I don’t think Sam wants to go in.”

“Oh. We’ll see you then,” said George, as the stone wall closed after him, Fred, Merry and Pippin.

Now alone with Sam, Frodo convinced him, “Let’s take a walk outside. Maybe to the grounds, while there’s still daylight.”

Sam nodded. He perked up at that, but remained silent. He was too shy for his own good. The last thing he needed was to disappoint anyone. When Frodo gestured, Sam followed without complaint. Sometimes the castle felt too stuffy for his taste. The grounds were more open, filled with life. It’s no wonder he liked Herbology class.

As they walked across the castle grounds, Frodo told Sam everything about his past. He did not know why, but Frodo felt the need to tell Sam more about himself. Of course, Frodo avoided certain details, figuring it wise not to tell Sam everything. He was not sure how far his friendship with Sam would become, and that was enough for now. Eventually, Frodo grew bored of talking about himself.

“So tell me more about you, Sam. I already know you’re shy,” said Frodo.

“You’re not shy,” said Sam. He felt as if he crossed the line.

Frodo obliged, “Oh. Well, the truth is I am shy. It’s just, you seem the sort of hobbit who I can entrust myself to.” He apologized, knowing he had gone too far. “I’m sorry. I know we don’t know each other very well.” Sam said nothing. Frodo asked, “But seriously, tell me more about you.”

“Oh, there’s not much. My Gaffer is a good, decent hobbit,” said Sam, right away defending his father.

Frodo was confused. Realizing he had done something wrong, Sam shuffled his feet. The last thing he wanted was to insult his father.

Frodo asked, “You respect your father.”

Sam looked at him, alarmed.

Frodo inquired, “Its fine. My father’s a respectable hobbit, too.” He fell silent. Did he really need to go into a speech about his father? His brow furrowed and his face streaked in confused. Deciding to change the subject, Frodo asked Sam, “Want to head back?”

Sam nodded. Just as he and Frodo were about to return to the castle, they were blocked by Lotho. Lotho was determined and pleased. Now he had Baggins and Gamgee right in his path. And now, he was prepared for their pranks.

“Hullo Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee. Here’s a little present for you,” said Lotho, tossing a Super Wizard Cracker right in Frodo’s path.

The Super Wizard Cracker exploded, making Frodo jump. Frodo sneered at Lotho as he ran off, laughing and pushing past students, without a care where they walked. Sam did not trust Lotho at all. Lotho needed to be taught a lesson. Maybe Frodo could teach him one, when he had the chance. Shaken up a bit, Frodo looked down at his feet. He snatched up what remained of the exploding wizard cracker, which was a wizard collector’s card of Bullroarer Took. On the front was a colorful moving image of Bullroarer Took. On the back, there was a description of him, short and to the point:

**_Bandobras ‘Bullroarer’ Took_ **

_An exceptionally tall hobbit: five foot four inches._   
_He won the Battle of the Greenfields in the Shire_   
_in T.A. 2747 when he knocked the goblin Golfimbul’s head_   
_clean off, sending it a hundred yards into a rabbit hole._   
_He invented golf at the same time. He was given the_   
_nickname Bullroarer after the battle was won._

“Hmm… I’m keeping this card,” said Frodo, stuffing it inside his breeches’ pocket.

“Mr. Frodo, you should get Lotho back for this,” said Sam, encouraging Frodo to start another prank.

Frodo told Sam, being considerate, “Don’t worry, Sam. I’ll get Lotho back. What was that he threw at us?”

“It was a wizard cracker, or so my Gaffer told me. Some are known to explode,” said Sam.

Frodo ended their conversation there. He said, taking off, “Well, I’ll see you later.”

“Goodbye,” said Sam, waving to him.

Frodo charged up the stairs inside the Clock Tower, heading directly to the fifth floor. He had homework to do, but now he had another reason to get Lotho back for his not-so-smart trick.

o-o-o

Thursday came and passed without much delay. Harry Potter was named Seeker after his flying broom incident with Draco Malfoy. The whole school erupted with chatter, including the hobbit first-years. Frodo was rightly jealous. When he earned his spot on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, only the Muggle-born students noticed him and spoke about his success, being the first hobbit in a few decades to be on a house Quidditch team. Now that Harry had joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team, the whole school was talking about him like wildfire. It made no sense in Frodo’s eyes. He couldn’t help feeling jealous, but when thinking about fame… no, Frodo did his best to put that out of his mind. The last thing he wanted was to be in Harry’s position.

As he walked down the corridors that late afternoon, Frodo found the Grey Lady floating in an empty part of the corridor. Ever since the Grey Lady spoke to him on his first evening at Hogwarts, Frodo had been nervous about speaking to her again. Gathering his courage, Frodo approached the Ravenclaw house ghost.

“Grey Lady?” Frodo saw the ghost turn towards him, an offensive look smeared on her face. He corrected himself, “I mean Helena, Helena Ravenclaw. You’re Rowena’s daughter, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but I do not like to speak about my mother with you,” said Helena, gliding away.

Frodo sped towards her. “Wait! Can’t we at least talk? I know we got on the wrong foot.”

“You want to know about my mother,” asked Helena. It was clear she didn’t trust him.

“Not really,” inquired Frodo. “I just thought we could talk, politely.”

“You seem more like a prankster. Why should I trust you?” asked Helena.

“I don’t know. Maybe I could do you a favor, but then… it’d be hard to know what you want,” said Frodo.

“All I want is peace. That’s all that I ask,” said Helena.

“You don’t think I want the same thing?” asked Frodo.

“How much do you take for granted, Frodo? Have you ever asked yourself that question?” asked Helena, growing curious about him.

“All the time. Harry Potter, meantime, is getting all the credit. I only have some,” said Frodo.

“So you seek fame and fortune,” said Helena.

“Sort of,” admitted Frodo. “I didn’t ask to be put as the unpopular sort.”

“Fame is not something you should tolerate, Frodo Baggins. It would ruin you,” said Helena.

“Do you care about me?” asked Frodo. He never asked a girl this before. He felt sheepish just for asking her this question.

Helena answered. “Not yet. If you are as kind as you say you are then prove it. That’s the only way I will come to terms with you.” She finished their conversation, “I should leave you now. You’ve done enough for me already.” With that she glided off, vanishing into a blue glowing ball down the next corridor.

Frodo watched the Grey Lady’s ball of light for several seconds. Thoughts crept into his mind. True, his acquaintanceship with the Grey Lady – Helena Ravenclaw was a rocky one. He did not know why he thought better of himself when speaking to her. She was someone who he wanted to become acquainted with. All she needed to do was let him in, then maybe… no, she was right. He would have to prove himself, prove his worth to her. But how? Kindness was the key. How on earth was he to pull that off?

Frodo continued debating to himself over Helena Ravenclaw’s words as he walked down the corridor. The emptiness was too much for him to handle, and he could not be in that situation for very long. No, he would continue on his way. And that’s what he did.


	15. September 22nd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, because of my overreaction, I almost botched this chapter up and messed up Frodo’s character development. Hopefully, this chapter turned out all right and Frodo’s okay now.

Sunday morning had come when Frodo awoke. It took him a few seconds to realize it was his birthday. True, he did admit it to Fred, George, Merry and Pippin about his birthday almost a week ago, but they were the only ones he spoke to. He hadn’t told Sam; because of this, there was some regret. Maybe he found out, maybe he didn’t. At least he would get some birthday gifts from his parents, but then he wondered if that meant breaking tradition that hobbits had already set on birthdays, where the hobbits that celebrate give gifts to others. At that moment, he didn’t know what way it was.

Oh well. After getting out of bed and changing into his blue school Hobbit uniform, as usual, Frodo opened his trunk. All his gifts were there. He was nervous about passing gifts around, since his reputation was a prankster. At least Lotho got what he deserved with that whoopee cushion, given to Frodo by Fred and George. Frodo chuckled to himself. That prank was just another casual one set by him; although Lotho did not approve and blamed him rather rudely.

“Ah. Oh, why not?” said Frodo, pulling out his bag of decent gifts. His mother helped him pick out some of the gifts, as did his father. So, it was a nice assortment.

Arriving in the Great Hall, Frodo first found Terry, Michael and Anthony. He told them it was his birthday and gladly gave them each quills, which were made from hawk feathers. They were pleased, thanking him for the kind gift, even though they didn’t understand hobbits’ tradition. Frodo moved on, heading straight for Fred, George, Merry and Pippin next. The four looked at him with curious gazes.

“Frodo, what’s in the bag?” asked Fred, curious.

“Well, it is my birthday today and I wanted to give you four something,” said Frodo.

“Aren’t we the ones who give gifts to you?” asked George, confused.

Merry explained, “All hobbits give gifts to other people on their birthdays. It’s tradition. We usually get gifts the day before our birthdays. It’s called common courtesy.”

Pippin looked all giddy and asked Frodo, “So what did you bring us?”

‘This is what I’m talking about,” said Merry.

Pippin was confused, “What?”

“Don’t worry. I have something for you two as well,” said Frodo. “But first to Fred and George. I know you’ll love this.” He pulled out of his bag two smaller boxes that were brightly colored. Fred passed the first box onto George, and then took the second box from Frodo.

“Thank you, Frodo,” said George.

“What’s in them?” asked Fred.

“Open them and you’ll see,” said Frodo, curious as well.

Fred and George opened the boxes at the same time. They jumped as a miniature pair of Jack-in-the-Boxes bounced up, swaying back and forth in their separate boxes. The Weasley twins stifled their laughter, but at the same time couldn’t help themselves.

Fred told Frodo, “Well, you really know us, Frodo.”

“I thought you would like it. I bought it at Gambol and Japes’ Joke Shop. They’re yours to keep,” said Frodo, delighted.

‘Thank you, Frodo. This means a lot,” said George.

“Now, what did you bring us?” asked Merry, getting Frodo’s attention.

“Here.” Frodo pulled out of his bag a carved wooden horse. He passed it to Merry. “My father carved this when I was small. I don’t have much use for it now, but I remember you telling me you have a passion for horses. Call it a starter, something to admire.”

“Thanks,” said Merry, pleased and intrigued with the carving’s detail.

Pippin asked, “What about me?”

“I didn’t forget you.” Frodo pulled out of his bag an acorn on a plaque. The acorn was wooden but had some paint. He passed to Pippin this treasured possession of his. “I didn’t want you to forget me. It’s the acorn I worked on with my mama and papa.”

Pippin was confused. “Shouldn’t you keep this? It’s yours.”

Frodo shook his head. “No, I want you to have it. I was going to give it someone anyway. Consider this a first step in me becoming kinder, more considerate.” He felt some pain. Why would he give up this memory? He recalled he was going to give this item as a gift to whoever was his friend.

“I’ll treasure it, but Frodo…”

Frodo shook his head again. “No, you keep it.” He could feel his eyes watering. No, he shouldn’t show Pippin this. Faltering, Frodo walked down the aisle, brushing off the tears that were about to stream down his face. He was braver than this. It was just an object…

Frodo stopped upon seeing Harry and Ron. Although it was his birthday, Frodo didn’t know what to say to either Harry or Ron. Leaving them be, Frodo saw Hermione walking down the aisle. While he didn’t particularly like her, finding her annoying, Frodo knew it was his birthday and he needed to be considerate of others, if just for this day.

“Hello Frodo,” said Hermione, pleased to see him.

Frodo stopped Hermione in her tracks. “Hermione, I wanted to… give you this.” He passed to her a blossoming white flower, one that was preserved by his mother through magic. After he passed the flower to her, Hermione sniffed it, recognizing there was magic in the flower. Frodo’s mind went nuts. What was he doing? He didn’t like girls. Frodo gave her a crooked smile, and then darted off to the Hufflepuff table, where Sam was. Frodo got his attention, “Sam, I wanted to give you this. It’s my birthday after all.” He passed to Sam some gardener’s tools, new ones.

Sam was amazed. He looked up and said, “These must have cost you a fortune.”

“Money’s not really a concern. Call it a friendly gesture,” said Frodo.

Sam was impressed at all the tools. “This is a complete set. Thank you, Mr. Frodo!”

“Anytime Sam,” said Frodo. He walked away, returning to the Ravenclaw table. He still had some gifts left, but it was best to leave them where they lie. He wasn’t expecting anything in return this day, not that he was asking for anything anyway. He looked back at Harry and Ron. Should he give gifts to them as well? Frodo couldn’t take it anymore. Grabbing his bag, Frodo stood up and approached the Gryffindor table, where Harry and Ron were sitting.

Ron told Frodo, rather mean, “Aren’t you giving gifts to Hermione? I thought she’s more important than us.”

Frodo was shocked. He had no words to say. It was like getting a taste of his own medicine.

Harry quickly settled the matter. “Ron, let him speak.” He looked at Frodo and told him, politely, “You don’t need to be shy in front of us, Frodo. What did you want?”

Frodo got straight to the point, passing first to Ron a picture book on wizard sweets, filled with descriptions and everything; it was a new copy, not the one Frodo’s father had. He passed to Harry a painted wooden swan.

Harry was confused, examining the swan with caution. “Thanks.”

This frustrated Frodo. “Here, set it down. This may impress you more.” As Harry did as instructed, setting the swan on the table, Frodo touched it with his hand, causing the toy swan to become animated, like that of an actual swan. Frodo touched it again, allowing the swan to swap from animated to inanimate.

Now Harry was fascinated. Ron asked Frodo, “How did you do that?”

“I’ve been practicing, with help from Flitwick,” said Frodo.

“Thank you, Frodo,” said Harry, picking up the swan and seeing it became inanimate again.

“Thanks for the picture book. Now I know what sweets to collect,” said Ron, studying his picture book.

Frodo nodded his approval. Silently, he walked away from the Gryffindor table, feeling pleased with himself. Now he had given the gifts he needed to give out. It was a good feeling. Maybe this was what the Grey Lady meant when she spoke about kindness. He sat back down at the Ravenclaw table. Maybe he could do right by people after all.

o-o-o

By lunch, there was an unprecedented rumor that spread throughout the school. That rumor was that Frodo was passing out gifts to everyone. Frodo was soon caught in a crowd in one of the corridors, doing his best to inform the students that he wasn’t passing out gifts to random people. Eventually, Hermione jumped in and corrected the absentminded students. Fred, George, Harry, Ron, Sam, Merry and Pippin soon followed, eager to help Frodo in his troubles. Fredegar Bolger did see the crowd, but figured it best to head to lunch first and deal with Frodo’s dilemma later. After some convincing, well done by Hermione, the crowd parted. Frodo was relieved, but a bit shaken up.

He told Hermione, politely, “Thank you.”

Still, Hermione had to ask Frodo, “How in the blazes did this rumor start?”

“It was Lotho’s doing,” said Frodo.

Ron shook his head. “I shouldn’t be surprised. Lotho’s a right foul piece of worm-ridden git face.”

“Wow Ron. That’s a lot to say about a bully,” said Harry.

George told Frodo, “Well, anyway, Frodo meet us in the disused bathroom on the sixth floor. We have something to show you.”

“Let’s say we all pitched in and helped,” said Fred, cryptic. After that, he and George took off down the corridors.

Ron told Frodo, “We’ll meet you on the sixth floor corridor. Harry and I can show you where the disused bathroom is. It’s Fred and George’ shop.”

Frodo was stunned. Fred and George had a shop in the castle? Why didn’t they tell him this? Maybe they did tell him, but somehow it slipped his mind. Frodo watched Harry and Ron run down the corridors. Merry and Pippin chased after the two friends. Only Sam and Hermione stayed behind.

Hermione told Frodo, “Sam and I can lead the way to the sixth-floor corridor, if that’s all right with you.”

Frodo gestured forward. “Lead the way.”

At that, they were off and once again Frodo questioned his short height. Sam was taller and faster than he was. At least Hermione fell back at times so Frodo could catch up.

Once they reached the sixth-floor corridor, Frodo was last to the reading room. There, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Sam waited for him. As soon as Frodo caught his breath, Harry led the way through the portrait of Myriadd and into the disused bathroom. This bathroom was large, but the toilets didn’t look like they were working, as there was one covered in water and another that was broken.

Fred announced to Frodo, “Welcome to our shop.”

“Wait. So you two _do_ have a shop here. I thought you were just messing around,” admitted Frodo.

Fred replied, “Well, now you know. It’s our gift to you, seeing as it is your birthday.”

“You were so generous to us, Frodo. We couldn’t resist showing you around,” said George.

Hermione added, looking at Frodo now, “I chipped in as well. I heard it from Neville Longbottom that your birthday was coming up. Here.” She pulled out of her satchel a brown leather book, passing it to Frodo. “It’s a first edition about the adventuresome hobbit wizards that co-existed in the wizarding community, beginning with the early Medieval period when Hogwarts was first founded. I thought it might interest you. I’m sorry if it isn’t wrapped.”

Frodo stared at the gift. He was surprised the students at Hogwarts were giving him gifts. He was speechless.

Hermione asked, curious, “Don’t you like it?”

Frodo looked up at her. Remembering how to speak, Frodo said, “It’s great. Thank you.” He stuffed the book inside his satchel.

Merry gestured to Sam. “Sam has something to give to you as well, Frodo.”

Sam nervously approached Frodo. Should he really break tradition? This wasn’t something he was used to doing. “Well… it’s a small token for your generous gift. I didn’t want to break tradition… oh, here.” He passed to Frodo an acorn necklace. “My Gaffer let me have it, so I would be able to give it as a gift.”

“It’s great, Sam. Thank you,” said Frodo, putting the necklace over his head. The chain was a little long. Maybe he would grow into it.

It was Pippin’s turn. He passed to Frodo his acorn plaque. Frodo didn’t understand. “This was my gift to you.”

“And now I’m giving it back. I wouldn’t want you to give up on a memory. You may need it someday,” said Pippin.

Before Pippin walked away, Frodo stopped him. Even thought the acorn plaque was in his hands again, it didn’t feel right. “You really want me to have this? Pippin, you shouldn’t have.”

“Well, Pippin can be thoughtless at times,” said Merry.

Pippin intervened. “Look, I’m not allowing you to give up on one of your memories, Frodo. Who knows? You may need to look back on it from time to time.”

“You can have it, if you want,” said Frodo.

Pippin shook his head. “Maybe next time.”

“I’ll find another gift for you,” said Frodo.

“I wasn’t asking,” said Pippin.

Merry pulled out from his pocket a small gold watch on a chain. He passed it to Frodo. “Here’s my gift to you. That’s solid gold. It cost my papa a fortune, but it was worth getting.”

As soon as Frodo put the small acorn plaque in his satchel, he took the gold watch. “Thank you, Merry.” Putting the gold watch in his pocket, along with the chain, Frodo admitted, “This is too much. I appreciate the gifts, but you all didn’t have to do this for me…”

“We wanted to, Frodo. What’s a birthday without gift-giving?” asked Hermione.

“By the way, here’s my gift,” said Ron, passing to Frodo a wrapped chocolate frog. Frodo opened the small box and nearly caught the chocolate frog, but Ron caught it for him. Ron tried passing the chocolate frog to Frodo, but Frodo politely declined. Ron shrugged his shoulders, eating the chocolate frog right in front of him.

Frodo found inside the box a hobbit wizard collector’s card. Like Bullroarer’s card, these were standard Middle-earth edition. The card was Belladonna Took: Bilbo Baggins’ mother. The image was colorful and moving, same as the one with Bullroarer Took. Frodo read the back of the card to himself:

**_Belladonna Took-Baggins  
(T.A. 2852 – 2934)_ **

_Wife to Bungo Baggins and mother to Bilbo._   
_She, alongside her husband, helped finance the_   
_construction of the most luxurious Hobbit-hole, Bag End,_   
_in the village of Hobbiton. She was well known to the_   
_wizard Gandalf the Grey._

“I guess I’ll be keeping this card. Thank you, Ron,” said Frodo, stuffing the collector’s card in his pocket. He turned to Harry, who looked like he had nothing to give.

Ron inquired to Harry, “What about you, Harry?”

Harry was beside himself. By now, he was used to getting gifts. Still, he was prepared. Approaching Frodo, Harry gave to the hobbit boy a book with the title, _Quidditch Through the Ages_. It looked to be a new copy.

“It’s another copy I bought and sent for from Flourish and Blotts. My snowy owl Hedwig flew in yesterday and gave it to me. I figured that, now you’re on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, you might like a copy,” said Harry. He recovered fast, “That is, if you didn’t have one before.”

Frodo shook his head. “I don’t. Thank you, Harry.”

Fred asked Frodo, “Do you want to explore the shop now? For today, everything is free to you and you alone. Ask George and myself anything that you’re confused about.”

Stuffing the book inside his satchel, Frodo explored Fred and George’s shop. Frodo found what he was looking for: a couple of pumpkin pasties and cauldron cakes each. Since Fred and George were letting him have this stock for free, Frodo took them without complaint. He also took two Middle-earth edition hobbit wizard collector’s cards. He figured he should learn something more about his family, even if they had been to the Wizarding World before his time.

Towards evening, Frodo was inside the mini study tower, in the Ravenclaw Boys’ Dormitory. Prim, his brown owl, flown in with a few wrapped packages. They were from his parents. After detaching them from Prim’s foot, Frodo opened the gifts one at a time. He received new stockings and a flat round log. He set the log underneath the parchment, before depositing his new stockings in his trunk. Whether he agreed to his mother’s choice in gifts remained in question, but Frodo appreciated the log writing desk from his father. As Frodo closed the lid of his trunk, he reminisced about his day. He came to a simple conclusion: it had been a good birthday.


	16. October Happenings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know in _The Lord of the Rings_ book trilogy Frodo’s two other friends are Folco Boffin and Fredegar Bolger. I’m going to first explore Frodo’s beginnings of his friendship with Fredegar.

October sprung up a week after Frodo’s birthday. While studying, Frodo also had Quidditch practice with the Ravenclaw team. Even though he was a substitute, Ned wanted to make sure Frodo was all practiced up, in case he ever did play in an actual match. However, one piece of news shifted everything around:

“What do you mean Cho’s resigned?” Frodo was flustered at the news Ned had given him. He was the last one to show up in the locker room on the first day in October.

“That’s what she told me. She wants to focus on her studies, so Jeremiah’s going to replace her. You know Jeremiah’s the second substitute for Seeker,” said Ned, pointing out a dark-skinned Seeker.

Frodo nodded. “Of course, I’ve spoken to him a couple of times.” He whispered, “He’s not very polite.”

“And yet he is a good sport. So, we’re going to train Jeremiah harder so he’s ready for our first match against Hufflepuff,” said Ned.

“Why can’t I play? I know I’m short, but height doesn’t matter that much,” said Frodo. He knew he was going against his own code. Height didn’t matter? Height was everything.

Ned patted his shoulder. “You’ll do fine. With luck, you’ll catch the Snitch at some point.” He walked away to speak to Jeremiah, who laughed at a pleasant comment Ned made.

Frodo was beyond furious. True, he was shorter than the rest of his teammates, but why should that stop him from being Seeker? He had to get beyond the reserved spot and move up to being an actual Seeker. Great, another moment where he needed to prove himself.

o-o-o

October also proved to be a busy time for Frodo. What with classes, Quidditch, and his detentions with Flitwick, Frodo hardly had time for much. At least he now had friends.

Sam and Pippin both informed Frodo that their siblings, all except Sam’s younger sister Marigold, were attending Hogwarts during their first year. Well, Frodo did remember that it had been a decade since hobbits attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, so he could understand how Sam’s siblings and Pippin’s siblings were around the same age as them. What stunned Frodo more, and made him a little nervous, was Pippin’s eldest sister Pearl was in Ravenclaw and she was a first year too. Frodo didn’t elaborate on the subject, seeing as he didn’t know what to say to a girl, let alone go anywhere near one, apart from Hermione and the Grey Lady.

However, Frodo’s Quidditch practices proved to be both tough and stressful. The new Ravenclaw Seeker Jeremiah was almost no help at all to Frodo. Even though Jeremiah had friends, somehow Frodo felt he was treated unfairly, perhaps because he was a first year and that meant little to the Ravenclaw Seeker. Frodo also guessed it was because he was a hobbit, which must have explained why Jeremiah wasn’t particularly fond of hobbits. Because most of the Ravenclaw team thought little of him, Frodo practiced harder than ever to catch the Snitch and at times even managed to catch it faster than Jeremiah. Frodo was yelled at by Ned on occasion, telling Frodo to let Jeremiah catch the Snitch seeing as he was Seeker and Frodo was Substitute Seeker. This whole treatment wasn’t fair.

In the middle of October, sometime during mid-week, Frodo walked down an empty corridor by himself. Sam didn’t mind much that Frodo wandered on his own. They were still acquaintances after all, plus Sam was still very shy around people, including Frodo. As Frodo traversed the corridor, he spotted Fredegar Bolger, working on his homework. Fredegar used the bench he was sitting on as his work station. The quiet corridor made it easier for him to work. Even though Frodo didn’t want to bother him, he knew next to nothing about Fredegar, other than he kept to himself and didn’t care what anyone thought. It seemed the perfect opportunity to break Fredegar out of his shell, at least Frodo thought at first.

Approaching Fredegar’s work station, Frodo spoke to the hobbit boy, “Fredegar, why are you alone?”

“You’re alone,” said Fredegar, not paying attention to Frodo.

Frodo sat down on the bench. Clearly, he was invading Fredegar’s space. Feeling the tension, but hoping to resolve it soon, Frodo spoke again, “So, you don’t care what other people think of you, being alone?”

“Frodo, I have to study. Besides, you’re the prankster at this school. You should be pulling pranks,” said Fredegar. “There’s no need to bother a poor sob like me.”

“Why not?” asked Frodo, confused. “I mean, you’re just as smart as I am.” Poor choice of words.

Fredegar looked up at him. “What do you want, Frodo Baggins? Remorse? Contentment? Because I cannot offer you any of those things. Now please, leave me alone.”

“I can’t. You look like you need a friend,” said Frodo.

“I don’t have friends. I have my sister and she’s not here this year. She’s still too young to attend Hogwarts. My family is enough,” said Fredegar.

“Yes, but surely you must hate the silence, the loneliness,” said Frodo. He wanted to push the subject on this hobbit boy. Fredegar did look lonely. “I know how it feels. I may not have siblings, I am an only child, but I know if you don’t make friends and keep them, what sort of life do you have? Yes, loneliness is bliss, but it’s also…”

“What? Come on, spit it out,” said Fredegar, impatient.

Frodo said, “You know what? Forget it. I’m sure you do fine on your own.”

Fredegar stopped Frodo before he turned the corner. “Well, if you’re interested in talking, I’m all ears. Tell me more about being an only child. That’s something I’m not used to.”

Now he had him. Returning to Fredegar, Frodo elaborated on his opinion of what it was like to be an only child. He pointed out the pros and cons to Fredegar, who was very keen on learning about this other side of childhood. By the end of Frodo’s explanation, Fredegar was convinced that Frodo was all right.

Breaking the silence, Fredegar extended his hand to the short hobbit boy. “Fredegar Bolger, but friends call me Fatty. Please don’t think it a joke.”

Frodo grinned. He shook his hand. “Frodo Baggins and I think the nickname suits you.”

“Please don’t laugh at me for having it. Everyone calls me Fatty,” said Fredegar.

“I won’t laugh,” said Frodo. “Even though you have that as your nickname, you’re a sincere hobbit. I just figured you might need a friend to get through school.”

“Hmm… then consider us friends,” said Fatty.

“Good,” said Frodo, as he released his hand from Fatty’s.

Frodo and Fatty talked for a little while longer. Frodo convinced Fatty to meet his friends, especially Sam first and foremost. When Frodo introduced Fatty to Sam, the three fell into a smooth conversation, which was pleasant. Fatty felt like he now was part of something special. Maybe he didn’t need to go through school alone after all. Even though he had a rocky start with Merry and Pippin, after Frodo convinced him they were all right, Fatty and Merry spoke a lot, becoming better acquainted and finding new things to talk about. Things were looking up for the five hobbits.

Frodo learned from Fatty, soon after, that he was already good friends with Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom. But Fatty was mere acquaintances with Harry and Ron.

o-o-o

On the last Saturday in October, Frodo’s final detention with Flitwick was held that morning. After the last grunt work was finished, Frodo began practicing his hand magic with Flitwick. His progression was incredible. Frodo had now gained basic control of his hand magic. He only used a wand in class, which proved that he was adept at both. Flitwick was impressed, but even more so at Frodo’s development into a better person and a better student.

Flitwick’s final lesson in that second hour was to see how many objects Frodo could transfigure. Even though Flitwick was a charms teacher, Frodo had been doing mainly transfiguration. Frodo proved his worth, transforming most of the objects into animals and several papers into white doves with inked words written on their feathers.

“Well done, Frodo!” said Flitwick, impressed. “Now, let’s see how you do transfiguring these animals back into objects. Remember our lessons.”

With a wave of his hands, Frodo was able to transfigure the animals back into objects. As an added bonus, Frodo moved all the objects with his hand magic back into their proper places, including stacking all the papers neatly on Flitwick’s desk. Flitwick was even more impressed now.

“Tremendous! I think you’ve finally gained control of the basics,” said Flitwick. “And I think that’s about all I will teach you today. Your detentions and basic lessons on controlling your hand magic are at an end. You may go now. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to keep your friends waiting.”

“Yes sir,” said Frodo. After grabbing his stuff and slinging his satchel over his shoulders, a though crept up on him. “Professor, you don’t think the teachers will go easy on me.”

“That I doubt. Your education is important, true, but don’t be so hard on yourself. We will respect you and admire you as long as you are a good student.” Flitwick added on a side note, “You are a very genuine person, capable of doing great deeds and pranks. Now off you go.”

Frodo nodded, grinning at the compliment. He walked out of Flitwick’s office, feeling changed but in a good way. As he walked down the seventh-floor corridor, Frodo spotted the Grey Lady – Helena Ravenclaw. Helena stared at the wall, not moving and not paying attention to him.

Frodo got her attention anyway. “You like me better now? I’m kinder now.”

“That is your own doing, Mr. Baggins, not my own,” said Helena.

Frodo found this hard to believe. “You were the one who convinced me.”

“You should be grateful we’re talking,” said Helena, floating towards him.

“Wha – What have you got against me?” asked Frodo, stunned.

“That is none of your concern,” said Helena. She vanished into a ball of light, darting down the corridor until she disappeared around the corner.

Astonished, Frodo could admit one thing in frustration, “Girls.” Shaking his thoughts off the whole mess, Frodo continued walking down the seventh-floor corridor.


	17. Halloween Pranks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’d like to thank DoctorWhovian18, who is over on Fanfiction.net, for her ideas for the next two chapters and since it was becoming too long, I had to move some of her ideas for upcoming scenes, same day, to the next chapter.
> 
> As for Pippin’s costume, that is based around a little amphibian I saw a while ago in the evening and made me jump. Pippin’s costume is also based around a _Harry Potter_ dream I had years ago, involving these little amphibious creatures. And no, it didn’t have the color that’s described in this chapter, but a natural color, of course.

The morning of October Thirty-First was filled with excitement, mainly about the feast that evening. All the students were looking forward to the feast, wondering what wicked desserts would fill their plates that year. Merry and Pippin were in an especially good mood. They had something special planned for Frodo.

Tired, with his mind still fresh on the nightmare he had before dawn, Frodo walked into the Great Hall. He didn’t care where he sat, as long as someone stirred him out of his scared thoughts. It took him several seconds to recognize the voice that was calling him, which belonged to Merry. Frodo approached the Gryffindor table, glad to see him and Pippin. At least they were awake.

“Merry, Pippin, I hope you’ve had pleasant dreams,” said Frodo, yawning loudly.

“You look tired, Frodo. Couldn’t sleep?” asked Merry, as soon as Frodo stopped yawning.

“No. I will, once I’ve had breakfast,” said Frodo, exhausted.

Merry whispered to Pippin, “Maybe we should wait until he wakes up.”

Pippin made a gesture to Merry, and then faced Frodo. He passed to Frodo a party popper. “You should have this. It’s something to wake you up. Fred and George gave it to me and Merry.”

Merry waved with his hands at Pippin, trying to tell him silently to stop. Frodo was right away suspicious, waking up a little:

“Fred and George? You don’t mean… it isn’t dangerous, is it?” asked Frodo, wary.

Pippin shook his head. He recovered on his story, “No Frodo, just something to cheer you up. You look like you’ve been through a nightmare.”

Frodo twisted open the top of the party popper. He spoke as he did this, “I did, and it was…” he was interrupted by blue fumes smacking his face. He had been sprayed by whatever was in the party popper. Checking his face, and coughing at the same time due to the strong smell, Frodo found it was blue powder. He could hear the Slytherins laughing at him, including a familiar cackle from Lotho. Frodo glared at Pippin, giving him a look that directly said Don’t-Mess-With-Me-Pippin.

Pippin sat down, sheepish. Merry chuckled for a time, informing Frodo, “Don’t worry, Frodo. It washes off.”

Frodo corked the party popper and said, casually, “I’m sure it does. Or I can do this.” He used his hand magic to swipe across his face, hair and clothes. He was clean and even smelled clean. Now, at least, he was awake, but determined to get Merry and Pippin back for this. Not showing his plotting, Frodo added, as he clasped a hand on Pippin’s shoulder, “Next time, try not to smack blue powder in people’s faces, all right? We’re good.” He walked off, returning to the Ravenclaw table.

A bad feeling fell into the pit of Pippin’s stomach. Merry, on the other hand, reassured Pippin, “Relax, Pippin. Frodo’s the best prankster in this school for a hobbit; Fred and George also rank in as the best pranksters of Men. I’m sure Frodo won’t try anything on us.”

“I don’t know, Merry,” said Pippin, worried now for Frodo. “What if you’re right?”

“I know I’m right. Come on, let’s eat,” said Merry, digging into his food.

After breakfast, Merry and Pippin left the Great Hall. As they entered the Entrance Hall, Frodo sped up to them. He was panting and frightened for his life. Something must have happened to him, or else Merry and Pippin both wouldn’t have been so fearful.

“Merry, Pippin, I’m glad I found you. There’s a _giant_ monster invading the empty classroom on the ground floor,” said Frodo.

“Last we checked, Classroom 11 was disused,” said Merry.

Pippin didn’t believe him and told Merry, “I think he’s bluffing.”

Frodo quickly acted casual, “Yeah, you’re right. There’s no monster. But Fred and George have something to show you in Classroom 11. They wanted me to bring up that monster story just to see how panicked you were. Luckily, I took the only key to Classroom 11. It’s locked now and no one’s been in there for a few weeks.” He asked, hoping that his story was true, “You haven’t been to Classroom 11 in a few weeks, have you two?”

“No. Merry and I checked there last month,” admitted Pippin.

“So this is Fred and George’s doing, and not some trick set up by you,” accused Merry, pointing an index finger at Frodo’s chest.

Frodo spoke, truthfully, “Oh no. It’s no trick. I promise you this because Fred and George laid out a special gift for you two, commemorating your beginner’s luck with pranking.”

“Beginner’s luck? Fred and George said this? The nerve,” said Pippin, annoyed.

Merry asked, trying to see through Frodo’s story, “What’s down in Classroom 11? Mice?”

“No. Just a bunch of chairs, pots and pans, and Bertie Botts’ beans,” said Frodo.

“Bertie Botts’ beans, Merry,” said Pippin, perking up.

“So there are sweets,” said Merry, hoping this was true.

“Here, I’ll show you. You really need to see this,” said Frodo, excited.

“All right. Show us and we’ll see if you’re telling us the truth,” said Merry.

“Would I lie to you?” asked Frodo.

Frodo was being honest with them. Maybe his words were true. Merry saw the giddy look on Pippin’s face. Believing his story, Merry told Frodo, “Why don’t you lead us there?”

“All right, but I won’t be able to go in. Fred and George said so. So, I only get to lead you to the classroom,” said Frodo, leading the way.

It was a short trip. When they reached the double-doors to Classroom 11, Merry checked the door knob. It was locked, exactly as Frodo said. Merry believed his story more now. Frodo passed the key to Merry.

“Here. You should have this,” said Frodo.

Merry took the key. “Aren’t you coming in?”

Frodo shook his head. “No. There are some things you need to see for yourself.” He paused, and then said, “I’ll see you two later.” He took off at a dash, glad this part of the castle was empty.

Pippin wondered why Frodo took off at such a fast speed. Maybe there really was a monster lurking inside Classroom 11. He watched Merry unlock the doors, swing open one and enter the classroom. Pippin followed, leaving the door open. The classroom now looked dark and foreboding, and yet there was a squeaking sound… was it mice? No, it was…

“Bats!” cried Merry and Pippin in unison.

As the bats flew towards the two hobbits, Merry and Pippin zoomed out of Classroom 11. They did their best to evade the bats, but they swarmed all around them. Surely they were afraid of the bright light. No, it had to be… Frodo, of course. Merry turned towards one of the lit stone pillars. Frodo moved away from the pillar, laughing his head off. Merry was not amused, while Pippin was scared out of his wits.

“Get these bats _off_ us!” cried Merry, hoping that Frodo would see reason.

Frodo shrugged. With a casual wave of his hand, the bats turned into plastic raven-colored toys, dropping to the stone floor like dead leaves. Merry glared at Frodo, but Frodo had a cunning smirk on his face.

Frodo told them, giddy with joy, “Next time you want to prank me, try for something more cunning, more unique. Right now, you two are in the nosebleed section, waiting for your chance to be cunning pranksters. Try again.” He walked away from the sight, leaving a mess for Merry and Pippin to clean up, without an instruction manual.

Pippin admitted to Merry, “I think we should call it a truce, Merry.”

“Pippin, I heartedly accept that,” said Merry. He stopped Frodo in his tracks. “Frodo, why don’t we call it evens? Seeing as we can’t stop pranking each other, and you’re the best out of any of us hobbits, why don’t we work together? I mean, here it’s All Hallows Eve. Doesn’t that give us a chance to go on a pranking rampage? I say it does!”

Frodo faced Merry and Pippin, a calmer grin showing. “So, you want to work with me? You promise never to prank me again?”

Pippin started, “Well…”

“That’s what I thought.” Frodo walked away again.

Pippin recovered fast. “That is, if you want to accompany us on our pranking spree. We still don’t know much about you, and I say it’s high time we learn from an expert.”

“Come on, Frodo. Give us a chance, at least,” said Merry, hoping this would please Frodo.

Frodo thought it over. “Okay. But we do things by the book: no pranking teachers, except for certain ones and without them knowing it’s us. As for pranking students, that’s another matter. We can’t just pick and choose at random. I’m sure there are plenty of students we’ve become acquainted with who we can prank.”

“I’ll go for that!” said Pippin, all too giddy.

A smirk crossed Frodo’s face. “Good, because I have the perfect idea. I think Fredegar and Sam can pitch in, too.”

o-o-o

“Sam!” cried Frodo, excited. He sat down on the same bench as Sam, who was clearly confused by all the action. “How are you?”

“Relieved, up until now. What’s with all the screamin’?” asked Sam, confused and annoyed.

“Well, Merry, Pippin and myself have declared to wear costumes – _living_ costumes – that should scare people. People need to be scared from time to time. So, I figure, why not? What say you, Sam?” asked Frodo. This was a brilliant idea.

“Mr. Frodo, you shouldn’t go around scarin’ people. It’s not polite,” said Sam.

“Sam, I’m surprised. Don’t you find your sisters annoying and your brothers?” asked Frodo, hoping to pull the right strings.

Sam was stunned. He politely explained, though he was frustrated, “I do find my brothers and sisters quite annoying from time to time. But I don’t want to scare nobody.”

“Sam, what could it hurt? Don’t you think they deserve to know how you feel?” asked Frodo, keeping his voice truthful and honest.

Sam looked about the corridor. Frodo’s idea didn’t sound half bad. He looked at Frodo again and said, convinced, “All right. So long as I take the costume off when I’m done.”

“Don’t worry, Sam. My hand magic will make sure all costumes come off. I’m about to put mine on as well, also using magic. What sort of monster – eh, creature do you want to be?” asked Frodo, curious.

Sam was worried when Frodo said ‘monster’, but he was relieved when Frodo thought better to use the word ‘creature’. He was sure he could think of some creatures that frustrated gardeners and could also panic his sisters and stir up his brothers. Then the creature came to him. “I’d like to be a shrew. Those hole-digging rodents are nothing but pests, but they should be enough to scare my siblings. A gardener doesn’t like shrews.”

“That one’s easy,” said Frodo, standing up at the same time as Sam. Using his hand magic, Frodo was able to drape Sam in a Shrew costume, making the mask look real and specific to whoever Sam figured on scaring. Then Frodo used his hand magic to drape himself in a costume of his choosing…

o-o-o

Three knocks sounded on the door’s wood surface. Snape did not want to be disturbed. He was too busy with working on grading homework assignments to answer his office door. The knocks rasped against the wood again. Knowing he should answer, being a reasonable wizard, Snape stood up. He fixed his black robe, before striding over to the door and opening it.

Standing before him, on the other side of the doorway, were three of his first-year students dressed in Halloween costumes. Their faces were covered by masks, so it was hard to tell who was who. The masks looked so real. Going from left to right, Snape’s student on the left was dressed as a fiery Salamander; the student in the middle was dressed as a Vampyr Mosp; and the student to the right was dressed as a Jarvey. Snape was not amused.

“Students trick-or-treating I see. I’m afraid I have no treats. Now move along! You’re blocking the door,” ordered Snape.

Just then, the student in the Jarvey costume spoke, as did the mask, “ _Hey_ , you’re Professor Snape! Aren’t you?”

Now Snape was curious. “I am. Now speak before I deduct house points.”

The student dressed as the Jarvey sounded familiar. “My friend Harry tells me that he enjoys your immense work in Potions. He says you’re the greatest teacher since buttered toast.”

At last! He found the victim. “Take that remark back, Potter!” He pulled up the mask as it became inanimate. He was staring at Draco Malfoy. This was odd. “Oh. I apologize, Draco.” He pulled the mask down over his student’s face, right as the Jarvey mask became animated once more. Embarrassed, Snape walked out of his office and into the Potions classroom.

The three students in the masks couldn’t help but laugh. They continued their rampage through the Dungeons, scaring unsuspecting Slytherins.

o-o-o

Throughout the morning classes, the teachers became quizzical as to who was wearing the costumes. They let these five students wear their costumes, as long as they didn’t disrupt the class, while they were teaching. The five students right away agreed, but Sam, still dressed in his shrew costume, had an itching to find his siblings and scare them.

After lunch, Sam headed into the Hufflepuff common room. There he found his four siblings, talking amongst themselves. It was time to scare them. When he approached, the Shrew mask automatically became animated and real, startling his brothers and scaring his sisters. Then the unexpected happened: Hamson and Halfred grabbed whatever sticks they could find and started smacking Sam silly. They made sure not to severely hurt whoever was wearing the mask, only to teach him or her a lesson that was sure not to be forgotten. Sam quickly tore off the mask, revealing who he was. He was defenseless and cowardly. His brothers looked like they wanted to kill him, and it showed.

“What were yah doing, scaring us like this?” asked Halfred.

“I’m sorry. I truly am. Please don’t beat me up anymore,” said Sam, apologizing over and over again.

Hamson said, acting like a mature eleven-year-old hobbit boy, “You deserve what you get for scarin’ us, Sam. Father would be ashamed.”

“You’re not goin’ to tell him,” accused Sam, hoping this wasn’t the case.

“I will,” said Daisy, rushing to the Hufflepuff Girls’ Dormitory, in search of a piece of parchment, a quill, and a filled-up ink bottle.

May added, following her sister, “You’ll pay for this, Sam.”

Sam looked down at the floor, shuffling his feet. This wasn’t going well. Why did Mr. Frodo have to put him in this situation? His brothers and sisters didn’t find it funny, so why should Mr. Frodo think scaring people was all right? He would have a sure thrashing on Mr. Frodo. That was certain. Maybe he could convince Mr. Frodo to stop with these pranks and other mischief. Tomorrow seemed better. For tonight, he would hold a grudge on Mr. Frodo, without letting him know.

o-o-o

Sometime after lunch Pearl Took and her younger sisters Pimpernel and Pervinca walked down one of the empty corridors. They had a lot to talk about concerning their houses. Pearl enjoyed being in Ravenclaw; it seemed to fit her nicely. Pimpernel loved Gryffindor for all the scarlet tapestries. Pervinca liked Hufflepuff because she felt it was closer to where the pretty flowers and plants grew. Each had their own unique qualities and yet they were willing to share them with each other on a daily basis. Things just seemed complete until…

A student, clearly a boy, was dressed in a purple-skinned Tree Frog costume. All three sisters freaked out, screaming and jumping as the boy drew closer to them. The costume looked so real, and Pearl and Pimpernel especially didn’t like frogs, no matter what they were. The boy kept making realistic “ribbit” sounds, saying this mantra faster and faster and he drew closer to one of the girls. Eventually, all three sisters fled the scene down the next corridor. They wanted to avoid the boy at all costs. They had no idea who it really was behind the mask. Maybe that was a good thing, but then… oh, they were too cowardly to find out, not that they cared at the moment. It was nothing but a stupid scare and Pearl was convinced that the boy behind the mask, possibly Frodo Baggins, would be punished for this horrid act towards girls.

The boy kept his Purple Tree Frog mask on, laughing uncontrollably. Finally, he had scared these three Took sisters, just like he always wanted. He ran down the corridor, hoping to scare and chase them down. He succeeded.


	18. The Forbidden Corridor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DoctorWhovian18 certainly has her ideas for Halloween pranks, which show up in this second part to the Halloween sequence for this story. I can't thank her enough for her ideas and advice. LOTCR, over on Fanfiction.net, is also a big help. So, I'd like to thank her, too.
> 
> Because Halloween is a time where no one is who people think they are, the students who you think are wearing the costumes may or may not be who you thought. If you are right or wrong, why not read this chapter and find out. You may be surprised.

Around the same moment when Pippin was scaring his sisters, somewhere in the castle, Frodo and Fredegar, still dressed in their costumes, were inside the Boathouse. Frodo was certain this was the spot. Perfect! The Black Lake looked deep enough here: not too shallow and not too deep. It would be enough to scare Merry.

“Frodo, are you sure about this?” asked Fredegar.

“After the scare he pulled on me, I’m willing to try this out on him,” said Frodo, determined.

“Wasn’t it Pippin who gave you that party popper?” asked Fredegar, certain this was a misunderstanding.

“Who do you think instigated the prank? Pippin was just following orders,” said Frodo. He stopped as Merry approached.

Merry asked this question as he ran up to Frodo and Fredegar, “Who was following orders?” Merry was still dressed in his costume.

“Well, no one. But Fredegar wanted to see how deep the water was,” said Frodo.

“It certainly looks deep, but I’m not going in,” said Fredegar. He truly was afraid of what lurked in the Black Lake.

“I’m sure it’s not that bad. But we’re in costume, so any chance of swimming would be futile,” said Merry, speaking the truth.

“Yea, you’re right. But at least look at the water, Merry, and see how deep it is,” said Frodo.

“Here? Now. Oh, you two are chicken. And you can’t swim, Frodo. Is that right?” asked Merry.

“No, I can’t swim. But here why don’t you take a closer look,” said Frodo, inching Merry closer before backing away.

Merry looked over, but couldn’t see anything. “Where? I don’t see anything.”

Frodo looked at Fredegar for a moment. Then, unexpected even to Merry, Frodo pushed him in. Merry hit the water like a heavy stone. The lake looked so green. Merry hardly heard Frodo’s voice as he plunged deeper and deeper into the water.

The water felt so cold. He tried to swim as hard as he could, and made some progress kicking. Good thing his costume was lighter than Frodo’s, but then Frodo’s costume didn’t have a thick, round belly. Why on Middle-earth would Frodo do this to him? It’s not like he instigated… oh wait, he did when he told Pippin to hand the party popper to him. How did Frodo catch on? Oh good, the surface was close now.

It only took Merry a couple of seconds to hit the surface. He was drenched. The Black Lake at least allowed him to cool off, but Merry was shaken up as well as alarmed. He asked Frodo, who was laughing his full head off, “Why did you do that?”

“I know it was you who told Pippin to give me that party popper!” accused Frodo, pointing his index finger at the soaking-wet hobbit boy. “Next time Merry, be the one who is pranking, not the one who initiates the pranks so you can send somebody else to do them.”

Merry climbed up the stone ledge, completely out of his place. Frodo added, “And that was for the number of pranks you pulled on me in the past two months!”

“Here! I didn’t think I did anything wrong,” said Merry, not understanding his punishment.

Frodo chuckled, “That you did, Merry. That you did.”

Merry was out of his wits. Could he and Frodo still prank people on Halloween? Just like that, Frodo used his hand magic to dry Merry off. Even though it was silent between the two hobbits, Frodo and Merry still returned to the castle with Fredegar, convinced they needed to pull more pranks on Slytherin students. At least the good thing was there was some sort of unspoken truce between Frodo and Merry… well, within that time frame.

o-o-o

As Snape walked down the corridor, he found Draco Malfoy talking with his friends Crabbe, Goyle and Lotho. What was Draco doing without his mask? Something was fishy here. He figured he should ask anyway.

“Mr. Malfoy!” called Snape. Malfoy advanced towards his professor, wondering what this was all about. “I noticed you’re not wearing a costume. Last I saw you, you were wearing a Jarvey mask.”

Draco was appalled. “I’m not wearing a Jarvey mask, and I certainly do not have a costume.”

“You’re telling the truth?” asked Snape.

Draco confirmed as much. “Every word, professor.”

Snape was confused, but convinced by this statement. “Very good. Run along.” He watched Draco return to his friends, right as they wandered down the Dungeon corridor.

This was puzzling. So Malfoy did not have a Jarvey mask of any kind. What kind of sorcery was this to pull tricks on other wizards? True, it was Halloween… this was too painful to solve. Not wanting to deal with the issue anymore, figuring the students pulling these costume pranks would be punished for their crime, Snape returned to his office. He about had enough of these shenanigans as it was.

o-o-o

As soon as his last class of the day got out, Lotho headed straight for the dungeons. Even though it was one of the coldest places in the castle, the dungeons were growing on him. He felt so happy there, more himself. He could be whatever he wanted…

“Bzzzz…”

What was that obtrusive sound obstructing his thoughts? He had to find…

“WHAAAH!” screamed Lotho.

Standing before the Slytherin first-year hobbit boy was another student, dressed as a Vampyr Mosp. This Vampyr Mosp costume looked so real, and it was inching closer his way in some kind of creepy, menacing way. Oh how he hated insects right now, especially magical ones.

“LEAVE ME ALONE! FIEND!” screamed Lotho, doing everything he could to back away from the monstrous insect.

“Bzzzzz… Bzzzzz…” The insect’s mantra continued, buzzing faster and faster as the student swarmed in.

Lotho eventually could not take it no more. He found an opening in the corridor. As he ran off, with the insect chasing after him, Lotho cried, “You’ll never get past me! I’m a Sackville-Baggins, and that means loyalty!”

“Bzzzzz…. Bzzz Bzzzzz…” The student’s insect costume sounded like it was questioning him. This ticked Lotho off on the spot.

“Just leave and pester someone else,” said Lotho, furious. As he walked down the corridor, he noticed the insect was chasing after him. “Get away from me!” Lotho sped up his pace, and the insect sped even faster. Strange how this student dressed as the Vampyr Mosp was a few inches shorter than he. However, Lotho didn’t have much thought into the manner of height, he was too busy fleeing from this annoying student.

At last he made it to the wall that led to the Slytherin Dungeon. He stopped the student in the Vampyr Mosp costume from entering. “You can’t follow me. We Slytherins would know about it, unless you’re another student from Slytherin…” No response. “Suit yourself, you little twerp. I’ll have you…” He was cut off as the wall closed after him.

The student in the Vampyr Mosp costume shrugged his shoulders. He returned to scaring other Slytherins. It felt good to scare them, since it gave them a taste of their own medicine.

o-o-o

The Halloween feast loomed on the students; for that evening, all the students and staff filed into the Great Hall. The ones that arrived last were the five students dressed up in their respective creature costumes. All the students pointed and looked at them all as they departed for their separate houses. Lotho could now see that none of the students were in Slytherin, for three were in Gryffindor, one was in Hufflepuff, and one was in Ravenclaw… wait a minute!

The student in the Vampyr Mosp certainly did something. When Lotho turned next, he could see the mask and costume was gone and Frodo Baggins was present. Where had he been? Wait a minute! Oooh, he would get Frodo back for this. He would make certain of this vow.

The other masks were blown away as well, revealing the student who wore the Jarvey mask to be Merry Brandybuck, the student wearing the Purple Tree Frog mask to be Pippin Took, the student wearing the Salamander mask to be Fredegar Bolger, and the student wearing the Shrew mask to be Samwise Gamgee. These reveals made Lotho flabbergasted, but more determined to get his revenge upon the five hobbit boys. He was already suspicious as to how these five hobbit boys had obtained their costumes and masks. However, the five hobbit boys in Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff were still wearing the rest of their costumes, just not the masks anymore.

Frodo, meantime, was busier staring up at the ceiling and also the feast before him than to see Lotho’s disdain. At least the bats flying from the walls and across the ceiling were live ones, but the live ones scared him more than the ones he set on Merry and Pippin, when Frodo had control of them. And yes, Frodo did see the thousands of pumpkins lit and floating above his head, which he figured meant in celebration of Halloween. He still couldn’t get enough of food appearing on the gold plates.

As Frodo ate some of his cooked carrots, Professor Quirrell burst into the Great Hall. He was acting like a madman and screaming about a troll in the dungeons, seconds before he fainted in front of everyone. There was much screaming amongst the students afterwards. Merry and Pippin screamed at each other, while Fredegar was alarmed and wanting to flee the scene. Lotho wanted to settle things right then and there and was pushed by a couple of students trying to leave the Great Hall. Sam closed his eyes due to all the screaming, but his sisters freaked out. As for Frodo, the second everyone freaked out and didn’t pay attention to him, he used his hand magic to camouflage himself, making him transparent to his surroundings and other students. While everyone freaked out, Frodo made his way to staff section. The second Merry spotted him he ran towards him, grabbed Frodo’s costume and also became invisible.

Dumbledore spoke aloud to everyone, once they quieted down. “Prefects lead your houses back to the dormitories immediately!”

Just like that, everyone that was a student filed out of the Great Hall. Well, almost every student. Pippin wondered where Merry had run off to. Confused and feeling alone, Pippin chased after the other students.

Frodo whispered low to Merry, as he jerked his hand off his costume, “Get – OFF – me! No wait… here.” He used his hand magic to keep Merry camouflaged, in spite of Merry almost turning visible. He quickly led the way, as he spotted Snape fleeing the scene quickly. “Come on, Merry. Let’s follow Snape.”

Merry whispered low to Frodo, “Okay.”

Snape was quick, forcing Frodo to chase after him and Merry. They were lucky Frodo had muffled their footsteps, so even Snape could not hear them. What Frodo and Merry could see were watery reflections of their surroundings, as if an invisible water shield was protecting them from others’ sight. At last, Snape and the two invisible hobbit boys reached the forbidden corridor.

The third floor corridor on the right-hand side looked foreboding enough. Merry, in a way, felt this corridor was not something he and Frodo should trespass into, especially since they were following Snape. Glad to hear Frodo’s footsteps, Merry continued his chase after Snape, and slowed down as Snape drew closer to an unlocked door. Somebody was inside, but whom?

Frodo panted as he caught up to Merry. Relieved they were still invisible, Merry snuck closer to the door. Frodo crept inside the room first, with Merry following after him. Merry stayed by the door, keeping it ajar, and watching the scene from there. He couldn’t see much, but could hear Snape and what sounded like Quirrell in an argument.

Frodo, unlike Merry, witnessed just enough of the scene:

“Pr-Professor S-Snape, I-I-I was on-only…”

“What do you think you’re doing in here?” snapped Snape at Quirrell.

Quirrell, ignoring Snape, continued his search for something. However, he was pushed by Snape, right as a three-headed dog bit Snape in the leg. Frodo moved as Quirrell sped towards the door. Merry jumped back as Quirrell made it out of the room. Snape used a nonverbal spell on the dog, putting it to sleep, if only temporarily. Frodo was lucky he wasn’t caught, for he made it out of the room seconds before Snape and crashed into Merry. Frodo looked back at the door, where Snape locked it and followed Quirrell back in the other direction.

Moving off of Merry, Frodo whispered to him, “Let’s head back to our common rooms.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Merry whispered back.

“I’ll use my hand magic to take off all our costumes. I think I can manage.” Frodo did just that and the costumes were gone from him and Merry, He did not know if Sam, Pippin, and Fredegar shared the same fate, or if the three were waiting on the seventh floor for them. At least he got his costume and Merry’s off, returning to their school uniforms they had on that day.

In quick procession, Frodo nonverbally camouflaged him and Merry again. They were lucky Snape and Quirrell didn’t see them or catch them, giving them an ample opportunity to follow them down the corridor. At last they reached the door to the Grand Staircase. Snape and Quirrell took it, fleeing the scene and heading downstairs. Frodo and Merry charged up the stairs. They arrived on the seventh floor where Fredegar and Pippin waited for them. Frodo, after turning him and Merry visible again, used his hand magic to make the costumes vanish, leaving Fredegar and Pippin also back in their Hogwarts’ scarlet-and-gold Hobbit school uniforms.

Relieved to see their school uniforms again, Fredegar and Pippin said to Frodo, grateful, “Thank you, Frodo.”

“I wonder where Sam’s at,” said Pippin.

“Probably avoiding Frodo,” said Merry, shaking his head. “Doesn’t he know that Frodo can use his hand magic to restore his Hobbit uniform? He’s going to look like a fool tomorrow.”

“Well, he won’t get far. Those costumes don’t go off unless I say,” said Frodo.

“Unless he’s found a way to take it off,” said Pippin.

Frodo thought it over, and softly, without anyone noticing, Frodo managed an effort to help Sam take off his Shrew costume, while leaving the mask attached. Even though Sam was a distance away, Frodo could somehow feel that his hand magic worked. How it did its job Frodo did not know, but he felt it. After saying his farewells to Merry, Pippin and Fredegar for the evening, Frodo returned to Ravenclaw Tower. It had indeed been a fun-filled prank day.


	19. Hand Magic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I have been neglecting Merry and Pippin a lot in this story, but I think it’s time I balance out the POVs a bit. So, this chapter will more focused on Merry and Pippin.

Sam was surprised he could take off the costume. However, he was still angry with Frodo and so chose to leave it on for the rest of the night and early the next morning. He would prove that Frodo mistreated him and this was the way to go. Deciding to leave things the way they were, Sam put on his mask and charged out of the Hufflepuff Boys’ Dormitory, ready to scare anyone on sight.

When he reached the Great Hall, there was an uproar of laughter coming from the Slytherin table. Even though breakfast had just started, the Slytherins still had a chance to laugh at Sam for still wearing a costume the day after Halloween. It was a riot for them, especially Lotho who looked pleased with himself. This was the best humiliation he had and he didn’t do anything about it. Boy, Lotho was a genius.

Finding Frodo sitting by himself, Sam made his way over to the Ravenclaw table. The second Sam loomed over Frodo, Frodo looked up for a moment before turning away, doing his best not to laugh aloud, even though the scene looked hilarious. Sam was appalled and beside himself:

“What did I do?”

Frodo told him, “Here, let me, before you get us both into trouble.” Using his hand magic, Frodo made Sam’s costume vanish, leaving in its place his yellow-and-black Hobbit school uniform that he had on the other day. This relieved Sam immensely. Calming down some, Frodo said, gesturing to the empty part of the bench. “Here, have a seat. I’m sure you have much to talk about, about yesterday’s events.”

“Well, I do have a few questions and an outburst.” Sam sat down a few inches from Frodo. Then he burst: “Why did you make me do that prank on my brothers and sisters?”

“I didn’t make you, Sam!” said Frodo, appalled.

“But you did,” said Sam.

Frodo explained, as calm as he could be, “No, I prodded you. I didn’t make you. You did that yourself.”

Sam almost said something, but quickly gave up. Frodo couldn’t help chuckling. Clasping a hand on Sam’s shoulder, Frodo told him, “Sam, Sam. When are you going to learn to trust me? I know what I’m doing. Besides, I think your brothers and sisters needed a good scare.”

“You’re so cheeky, Frodo. I don’t know why I’m talking to you,” said Sam, getting up.

Frodo added, before Sam walked away, “Because your life would be boring without me there to guide you.” He saw Sam glance back at him once, before Sam headed over to the Hufflepuff table.

Pippin, in the meantime, arrived in the Great Hall and approached the Gryffindor table. From there, Pippin slid in across from Merry. He had to find out where Merry had been to. He hadn’t said a word to him.

“So Merry, where were you last night?” asked Pippin.

Merry looked from one side to another, before whispering, “I went to the Third Floor Corridor with Frodo last night, on the right-hand side.”

“You did? What did you see, Merry?” asked Pippin, curious and also whispering.

Merry shook his head. “Oh, not much Pippin, but I did hear growls. I think Frodo saw something in there, but…”

“But what, Merry?” asked Pippin.

“It’s nothing. Let’s just focus on the day ahead,” said Merry.

Pippin wanted to learn more about Frodo and Merry’s escapade. Still, he agreed to Merry’s wishes, “Merry, do you think we could ask Frodo how he uses his hand magic. Maybe learn the basics from him.”

“He’s an expert on transfiguration,” said Merry.

“Well, he’s a beginner on transfiguration, Merry. Let’s ask him sometime,” said Pippin.

“How about now?” asked Merry. “In fact, why don’t you ask him?”

“Me? What about you?” asked Pippin.

“I’ve been with him since we went to the third floor corridor,” said Merry.

It was true. “All right, I’ll ask him,” said Pippin. He stood up and searched for Frodo. Just as he saw Frodo about to leave the Ravenclaw table, Pippin called to him and rushed towards him. “Frodo, teach Merry and me how to do hand magic.”

To Pippin’s surprise, Frodo laughed. “I can’t teach you hand magic. I’m not a teacher. Besides, I don’t even know how it works.”

“Yes, but you have the basics down. Merry’s struggling with hand magic, as am I. We could use the extra help,” said Pippin.

Frodo eyed Pippin for a moment. Considering the option, Frodo grinned and said, “All right, I’ll help you learn to control your hand magic…”

“Okay, as long as we get to learn some of your hand magic,” said Pippin.

Frodo chuckled. “I’m sure you will get your chance, Pippin. Well, bye,” said Frodo, leaving the Great Hall.

Pippin returned to Merry with the big news. At least the good news was they could learn to do both: controlling their hand magic, working on it some, and seeing some of Frodo’s hand magic. Wait, he didn’t get a chance to ask Frodo when they should meet…

Merry stopped him. “Pippin, I’m sure Frodo will let us know when we’ll meet him.”

Pippin believed him, or so he hoped.

o-o-o

After Transfiguration class, Frodo met Merry and Pippin in the Transfiguration Courtyard. Pippin was more eager to learn Frodo’s hand magic than Merry, but Merry was eager in a calmer manner. However, Frodo only knew some of the basics he had been trying to maintain, ever since Professor Flitwick showed him how to control his hand magic. The first thing Frodo showed them, as he excelled at transfiguration the most, was how to make a rabbit appear out of a blade of grass.

Once he made the rabbit return to a few blades of green grass, Frodo looked at Pippin and Merry. “Now you try. All you have to do is think of the object you want to transfigure and it will become that.”

“You’re a natural, Frodo,” complimented Merry.

Pippin did his best to make a baby rabbit appear in his hand, using the blade of grass in his hand. He failed miserably. He tried again, snapping his fingers, only to get a live rabbit’s head come out of the tip of the blade of grass. Merry ended up with the baby rabbit’s rear end. Slowly but surely, Merry had a baby rabbit transfigured from the blade of grass. Frodo looked pleased with Merry’s handiwork, only to watch Pippin instead transfigure the blade of grass into a chicken-rabbit, where the baby rabbit had a chicken’s rear end and hind legs.

“That’s not right,” said Pippin, concerned.

Frodo shook his head. “Allow me.” In a snap of his fingers, Frodo returned Pippin’s blade of grass to its before appearance, without the weird-looking animal staring at them. He told Pippin, “Again.” He looked at Merry and said, “And now Merry, can you transfigure the baby rabbit back into a blade of grass?”

Merry snapped his fingers again, but only managed to do half the job. The rabbit’s rear end was back, while the other end, where the head had been, now had the shape of the blade of grass. Frodo chuckled at the sight, before taking the lead with a snap of his fingers and transfiguring Merry’s grass-rabbit back into a single blade of grass.

Merry and Pippin kept working at it a few times until Frodo told them it was time they got their lunch. As they walked down the Grand Staircase, Peeves advanced, shooting water balloons at them. Frodo darted off in haste, narrowly missing the water balloons. Merry and Pippin weren’t so lucky, as some of Peeves’ water balloons smacked them in the face and chest, drenching them from head to toe.

Peeves cackled, delighted with his prank. “Ooh! Ickle Firsties, come to play with o’ Peeves! Hahaha!”

Merry tried to reason with Peeves, “Can’t we talk about this? Maybe Pippin and I can learn a thing or two from the likes of you, the Great Prank-Master!”

“Don’t try to butter me up, firstie! I know your game!” Peeves then vanished through a wall.

Pippin asked Merry, “Do you think he’ll ever learn?”

Merry shook his head. “I doubt it. Let’s get some food.”

“We’re not that wet, Merry,” admitted Pippin, seeing the water balloons only hit him and Merry in some places, while other places were dry.

Merry led the way down the staircases, back to the Entrance Hall. Already students were going to and fro, so there was no hurry. This was something that made them both relieved.

o-o-o

Later that evening, when the Gryffindor first-years returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, Merry and Pippin first joined Harry, Ron and Hermione, who now looked thick as thieves. It was Pippin who spurred the conversation:

“Frodo seems to be getting along well, doesn’t he?” asked Pippin.

“I’ve noticed that, too. It’s like he’s better than he was,” said Harry. “I wonder what changed him two months ago.”

“Maybe it was something we did,” said Pippin.

“Either way, a hobbit as intelligent as him won’t prank us,” said Ron.

Merry shook his head. “I don’t know, Ron. Frodo still doesn’t entirely trust you.”

“Why not? He trusts Hermione,” said Ron.

Merry and Pippin did their best not to chuckle. They couldn’t help it. Hermione was perturbed.

Putting her hands on her hips, Hermione asked the two hobbit boys. “What is it?”

Merry admitted between chuckles, “No Hermione. Frodo _looked_ at you.”

“Now come on. Frodo’s a decent hobbit. Surely he isn’t afraid of girls,” said Hermione. “He’s talked to me long enough.”

“Has he?” asked Pippin, jokingly.

“All right, that’s enough out of both of you,” said Hermione.

“Suit yourself,” said Merry. He and Pippin approached Fredegar next, who was busy with his studies.

Fredegar told the two hobbit boys, “Tonight’s not a good night, hobbits.”

“Why not?” asked Pippin, curious. “We’re your friends.”

“We’re school friends, Pippin. If we were close friends, sure things would be different,” said Fredegar.

“Now you sound like Frodo. All he does is stay with us a couple of hours, and then runs off somewhere else,” admitted Pippin.

“What’s Frodo’s deal?” asked Merry, also curious.

“You want to know that, ask him yourself. Don’t ask me what’s wrong with him,” said Fredegar.

“Doesn’t he trust anyone?” asked Merry.

“I didn’t say that. You’ll have to ask him,” said Fredegar. “Now, if you boys will excuse me, I have work to do.”

Pippin, understanding Fredegar’s boundaries, told him, “We’ll leave you to it.”

“Thank you, Merry, Pippin,” said Fredegar.

As Merry and Pippin climbed up the familiar stone stairs, a thought crossed Pippin’s mind:

“Do you think we’ll ever learn what’s wrong with Frodo truly?” asked Pippin, curious.

“He’s adjusting, as are we. Remember, it is our first year here. Everything’s different and new,” admitted Merry.

“Is that all it is?” asked Pippin, as Merry closed the door to the Gryffindor Boys’ Dormitory.

As they talked, Pippin found out a little about Frodo from Merry’s findings. True, they had only just joined a comradeship with Frodo, yet they weren’t very close with him. Even though Pippin wanted to speed things up, Merry admitted to him that wasn’t the best idea. They both went to sleep in their separate beds, relieved to have learned some hand magic from Frodo that day.


	20. Gryffindor versus Slytherin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so everyone’s aware, there is an olive-skinned unidentified Seeker in the Harry Potter series. I think this unidentified Ravenclaw Seeker was in the first Harry Potter game, on one of the versions for the first game, but that’s all we know about him, other than what will happen in the match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. So, in a way, I am following this side story, but the unidentified pale-skinned, brown-haired Ravenclaw Substitute Seeker is Frodo and not some random Ravenclaw student. So, there’s one change I made in the original game plot, but the original story plot to _Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s | Sorcerer’s Stone_ is the same concerning Quidditch at Hogwarts.

The weather turned very cold that November. Every morning there was frost on the castle grounds. Hagrid spent time defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundled up well so he did not suffer from the chill. The Quidditch season had begun.

As it now seemed, what with the first match between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw in the coming weeks, Frodo’s practicing were almost for not, or so it seemed in his mind. Most of the time, he was told off by Timbers not to take the Snitch from Jeremiah. And yet there were times as well when Jeremiah would catch the Snitch and other times become distracted. Frodo’s partnership with Jeremiah, as far as Seeker went, was still a rocky one that didn’t look uplifting. Either way, Frodo was stuck being the Substitute Seeker.

Frodo complained to Timbers, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, about the whole mess, “Jeremiah can’t play Quidditch. Look at what he does whenever he tries to catch the Snitch.”

“Jeremiah’s a fair player. He loves Quidditch as do we all. Do you want to get kicked off the team, Frodo?” asked Timbers, asking a direct question.

Frodo was stunned. Perhaps complaining wasn’t the best idea after all. He said, truthfully, “No.”

“Then quit complaining about Jeremiah,” said Timbers. He patted Frodo’s shoulder and walked away.

Jeremiah advanced towards Frodo. He towered over the hobbit boy, making Frodo have to look way up in order to see the seventh year’s face. Jeremiah chuckled, telling Frodo in a casual manner, “No worries, Baggins. You’ll have your chance to catch the Snitch, just not so likely.” He walked away, heading towards Timbers as if they were good friends, which they were.

Frodo admitted to himself, gazing at the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, “You don’t know what he’s like on the field.” He went into the locker room to change back into his blue uniform. On his way out to the grounds, Frodo remembered the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin was the following morning. He would be in the stands for sure – although he did not know why he wanted to support the Gryffindor team… maybe it was in support of Merry and Pippin’s house over Lotho’s any day.

As he left the Quidditch gate, Frodo was ambushed by Merry and Pippin. Clearly, the two hobbits had something on their minds they wanted to share with him. At least what they had to say would be better than anything his teammates said or did.

“Frodo, we came to ask you something,” said Pippin, looking giddy.

“We wondered – Pippin and I wondered – why is it you’re always by yourself most of the time?” asked Merry, confirming Pippin’s statement.

“Oh.” Frodo’s smile went away. This was not the best time to ask this question. “I’m sorry. I have to go.”

“Then you admit it.” Merry said, stunned.

Frodo stopped in his tracks. Did he really have to deal with this question now? Turning to the two hobbits – oh, they looked so happy – Frodo informed them, “Look, it’s not that I don’t like you both, I do, and we’ve joined a comradeship. Isn’t this something you should ask Sam or Fredegar?”

“Fatty’s in the middle of his studies just now and you got done with Quidditch practice…”

“As much as I appreciate this, Merry, I think the question stands on its own,” said Frodo, walking down the cobbled stone path.

Merry and Pippin speeded towards him. They were determined to resolve this issue at once. Frodo looked at them both with wary eyes. “Why are you still following me?”

“Because we’re not done here, Frodo Baggins,” said Merry.

Pippin added, “Besides, Frodo, you needn’t be so cryptic with us. We just want to know…”

“My business,” said Frodo, getting the hint. “Look you two: we’re comrades with pranks, nothing further. If I wanted to be your friends, I would do that, but in the meantime…”

“I know you saw something down the Forbidden Corridor, Frodo. I didn’t, but I heard growling,” said Merry. That stopped everything. “Tell me what you saw.”

“You won’t tell anyone we were down there?” asked Frodo.

“Not a word,” said Merry.

“Then let’s leave it at that,” said Frodo. He took off back to the castle, surprised Merry and Pippin weren’t following them. He shook his head. “Oh boy.”

“Do you think he’ll ever learn, Merry?” asked Pippin, as he and Merry watched Frodo leave their sight.

Merry looked beside himself. “I don’t know, Pippin. Well, at least we found that out. Come on, let’s go find Hagrid.” He led the way, with Pippin following after him.

o-o-o

The first Quidditch match of the season began that Saturday, in the second week of November. It was Gryffindor versus Slytherin and Lee Jordan, who was in Fred and George’s year, was the commentator for the game. Frodo accompanied the school onto the stands. He was becoming lost in the crowd – oh, how he hated being around crowds, and this was one of the worst experiences he’d face at Hogwarts – but lucky for him he made it to the Ravenclaw side of the stands.

Frodo was alone, of course, that is until he found Pippin’s sisters. Wanting to show courtesy, and hopefully to be with someone he was familiar with, for the sake of not being alone during the Quidditch match, Frodo made his way towards the three sisters. Pervinca and Pimpernel giggled when they saw him – he knew they weren’t in Ravenclaw! What were they – oh, never mind. However, Pearl seemed much more mature than the other two, giving him reason to ask her if he could sit down with them. Yet his timidness showed up once more.

“Mind if I join you? I don’t know where Pippin, Merry, Sam and Fredegar are and I-” Great! Now he was stumbling on his own words.

Pearl blushed and nodded. She never saw a hobbit boy move so fast, just to stand next to her. She felt so privileged she couldn’t stop blushing.

Frodo stumbled on his words again. “So uh… so how are you three?”

“Well, Frodo Baggins. You’re on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team,” said Pearl.

“Yes…” He faltered. Why was this so hard? He felt very uncomfortable.

“I wish you luck,” said Pearl.

“The game is about to start,” said Pervinca, peering into binoculars.

Frodo could hear Lee commentating the whole game:

“And the Quaffle is taken by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor – what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and attractive, too-”

“JORDAN!”

“Sorry, Professor.” Jordan was watched closely by Professor McGonagall, who insisted he keep his focus on the game, rather than his fellow students. Frodo admired his commentary, though; it was quite ridiculously funny.

When Pearl and Pimpernel offered Frodo an extra pair of binoculars, Frodo was stunned and confused. Even though he wanted to reject the offer, something inside him told him this was the only way he could see what was happening during the game. Thanking Pearl and Pimpernel for the binoculars, which he promised he would give right back, Frodo peered into the lens. He jumped back in fright at how close everything was. This was new. Nervous, Frodo peered back into the binoculars’ lens. His nervousness went away, but still he was frightened at how close everything was. At least now he could see what Lee was commentating.

Lee continued his commentary: “-that’s Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint…”

But Frodo was too focused on the game, spending half his time listening to Lee and the other half focused on the game. Eventually, Harry chased after the Snitch, but so was Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs. Frodo watched the situation with Harry: first Harry was all right, and then his broomstick went out of control, followed by Harry being fine and flying once more after the Snitch. It was a rough game, but Harry dived in for the Snitch and caught it in his mouth. He coughed and out popped the gold ball in his hands. The game was over: Gryffindor won.

Frodo moved the binoculars off his face. He turned, just as Pearl glared his way. What had he done wrong? Not knowing what to do, Frodo gave a quirky grin, passed the binoculars back to Pimpernel and darted away. He did not want to be in Pearl’s situation, but neither was he so eager as to find out what was wrong with her. Girls…

Frodo did manage to catch up to Harry, Ron and Hermione, who were meeting Hagrid at his hut. Frodo hadn’t been to Hagrid’s hut before, so he was glad they accepted him. Inside, Frodo found the place small but cheerful. It reminded him of home… yea, home. A tear streaked down his face. Maybe he had been too hard on his parents. Hermione snapped him out of it, right as Harry commented on the three-headed dog that he, Ron and Hermione encountered one night. This dawned on Frodo.

Stopping everyone from talking further, Frodo admitted, “I saw the three-headed dog on Halloween. I followed Snape and Merry came with me, but Merry never saw the dog. It was me who did. I don’t know why Merry wasn’t so keen on following me.”

“You could have been attacked, Frodo,” said Hermione.

“I know. Luckily I wasn’t attacked,” admitted Frodo.

“What were you doin’ down the third-floor corridor, Frodo? That’s off-limits to students,” said Hagrid.

“You’re not going to tell on me or Merry, are you?” asked Frodo.

“I won’t, as long as you don’t go snoopin’ about the castle again. And how is it you four know about Fluffy?” asked Hagrid.

“ _Fluffy?_ ” asked Harry and Frodo at the same time.

Hagrid explained the three-headed dog named Fluffy was his, that he allowed Dumbledore to borrow his dog to guard something. He told the four students it was top secret, and that they shouldn’t be snooping into something they weren’t allowed into. Harry was convinced Snape was up to something, and Hermione certainly was keen on finding out what Snape was doing down the Forbidden Corridor. Frodo had his own mind set to follow these three friends in search of whatever it was they were finding.

So Frodo guessed that meant his friendship with Sam, Merry, Pippin and Fredegar would have to hold off a while longer, at least until this issue was resolved. He wanted to find out as much as Harry what all the teachers were keeping secret in the Forbidden Corridor, no matter the stakes. It was about time he had adventures like Bilbo Baggins, his uncle and cousin, and this would be his first shot at having them.


	21. A Book in Frodo's Name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to thank DoctorWhovian18 for an idea that seeped its way onto the pages of this chapter.

On Sunday morning, seeing as Frodo darted off for much of the previous day after the Quidditch match, wanting to spend as much time as he could with Sam, Merry, Pippin and Fredegar, Hermione approached the Ravenclaw table, where Frodo ate a morning biscuit dripping in honey. He raised a finger at her until he finished his biscuit, and then looked up at her.

However, Hermione whispered in his ear: “Meet Harry and Ron in the corridor next to the library. We want to look up information that Hagrid gave us.”

Frodo whispered back, loud enough for Hermione to hear: “Okay.” He watched Hermione walk away, before digging into the rest of his biscuit.

After breakfast, Frodo made his way to the Grand Staircase. Knowing the way to the library, Frodo followed the corridors. However, a lot of them were empty or had very few students and staff gathered. It was down one of the corridors that Frodo saw a figure wearing a cloak and half covered by a white mask. The figure looked ghostly and frightening. Feeling creeped out, Frodo ignored the creature and made his way down the corridors. He was followed by the specter.

As he reached the library, the mysterious Phantom bounded out behind a stone pillar. The voice sounded very familiar. However…

“ _BOO!_ ” said the Phantom, startling Frodo into a fright.

Half frightened and fearing for his life, not caring who this mysterious Phantom was, Frodo moved around this ghost. However, the Phantom wanted to grab him. Frodo did his best to pull back, jerking fiercely away from the creature, which looked like a boy that was a bit shorter than he.

“GET AWAY FROM ME!” screamed Frodo, darting off down the corridor.

The Phantom slunk back behind the stone pillar, but looking out as if checking on Frodo. Frodo glanced back, only to see this Phantom still around. He approached Harry, Ron and Hermione in no time at all. The three looked confused. Frodo could hardly speak.

Hermione was the first to inquire about Frodo, “Frodo, are you all right?”

“He’s probably seen the Phantom,” said Harry.

Good guess. “So that’s what it was.” Frodo was out-of-breath. “Why is it after me?”

“To scare you, perhaps,” said Ron, shaking his head at the Phantom. “Why is it coming after you?”

“I don’t know,” said Frodo. The trio certainly sounded like they didn’t know anything. He asked them next, “Why are we here?”

“Well…” Hermione was shushed by Harry and Ron.

Frodo asked them, suspicious, “Do you three know something?”

Harry and Ron shook their heads. Hermione inquired to Frodo, sticking with the plan that Frodo was suspicious over, “I think you should head into this empty classroom. It’s perfectly all right. Everything’s been set up for you.”

Frodo followed Hermione to a classroom away from the library. He was outright confused. It was empty and dark. Why were the curtains drawn and filled with nothing but candlelight? He asked Hermione, stunned, “Through here? But I…” Too late. He was shoved into the room by two pair of hands bigger than his. Turning around, he witnessed Harry and Ron close the door on him. He was trapped. “This can’t get worse.” He shouldn’t have said that.

As he turned his head, Frodo saw the Phantom again, only by his mask. Just as he charged towards the Phantom, the figure disappeared. This was followed by lightning and thundering sounds. Maybe this was a prank set up to amuse him.

“Very funny, guys. Haha. You can come out now,” said Frodo. It was a weak joke, and he felt it in his shaky voice.

More thunder and lightning started. As if on cue, more Phantoms appeared throughout the classroom. Frodo looked around in fright. This must be a joke. No, it was definitely real. He started backing towards the door. Grabbing the door handle, Frodo found it locked. He continued to push the handle down, growing more terrified by the second:

“Come on! Come _on!_ ”

He heard ghostly sounds. Were the wights coming to attack him? Frodo spun around as the group of Phantoms towered over him. Even the short Phantom stood directly in front of him. Frodo screamed and cowered, just as the curtains were pulled by none other than Sam Gamgee. At once, Frodo could hear laughter, as the cloaks and masks were pulled off, revealing Fred and George Weasley, Ron, Harry, Hermione, Merry, Pippin and Fredegar. Frodo kept his eyes shut until Sam pulled him up off the floor. Then Frodo understood, but couldn’t believe it.

“Wha – What?” asked Frodo, bewildered and confused.

“Well, it was my turn to prank somebody and I chose you. Best prank ever, huh?” asked Pippin, his face beaming with excitement.

“I don’t understand. I thought you liked me, all of you,” asked Frodo.

“We do like you, Frodo,” said the witches, wizards, and hobbits in the group.

“It’s just you’ve pulled so many pranks on us,” admitted Merry, “and on everyone. We just wanted to pull the wool off your eyes. See how it feels to be pranked. Not much fun, is it? Still, Pippin and I are willing to learn from a master.”

Frodo looked at them all. So this was why they sent him down this corridor in the first place: to prank him. Anger boiled inside him, an anger he couldn’t abate. He thought he trusted them all. True, this was a new experience to have friends, but under these circumstances? How on Middle-earth should he trust them now? Trying hard not to show his anger, but feeling the need to be alone for a while, Frodo darted towards the door, just as Sam unlocked it for him. Sam gazed at the others, knowing something was wrong. However, Sam was still too shy and hardly knew Frodo. Maybe what he needed was time to himself. Merry darted out of the room after Frodo, not bothering to admonish Sam’s presence.

“Frodo! _Frodo!_ ” cried Merry. Frodo stopped in his tracks. The way his body tensed up told Merry at once that Frodo was upset. Merry tried to reassure him, comfort him, with his words, “Pippin, I, and everyone were just pulling a harmless prank. We didn’t know what kind of effect it would have on you.”

Frodo spun around and face him. The look on his face was a mixture of emotions. “And what did you conclude?”

Merry didn’t know what to say. “That we should play better pranks on people?”

Frodo corrected him. He was angry, that much was plain. “No. That you should find a good excuse for why you pranked me like that. Phantoms? Did you honestly think that would work? You scared me half to death.”

As the rest of the group went their separate ways, Merry explained to Frodo, “Frodo, Pippin and I apologize for that. You don’t need to take it out on us. You drove us to pull this prank on you.”

“Besides, Frodo we can make it up to you, if you help me, Harry and Ron out in the library,” said Hermione.

“The library? I’ll see you later, Hermione,” said Pippin, chasing after Sam down the corridor.

Frodo was out of his wits. Should he follow Harry, Ron and Hermione after what just happened. Merry asked him, nonetheless, “Are we forgiven?”

Frodo mumbled, loudly, “I’ll see you later.” Ending the conversation there, Frodo followed after Hermione into the library.

Merry stood in the hallway, unable to follow after Frodo. Merry didn’t want to risk another tense argument between him and Frodo. Astonished over what had happened between them, Merry left Frodo alone and charged down the corridor after Pippin, Sam and Fredegar.

o-o-o

Frodo did forgive Merry over the course of the week. Their friendship mended and all seemed well between the five hobbits, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George. In an effort to ease Frodo’s mind over the Forbidden Corridor – he didn’t know when he would be pranking anyone again, at least not for a while – Harry, Ron and Hermione allowed him to come with them inside the library to look up information on Nicholas Flamel, the man Hagrid mentioned.

As they searched, Frodo stumbled on a book that had his name on the front. It certainly looked thin and blue, with gold lettering for his name. On the binding, on the inside front page, Frodo saw the author was in fact a Quick Quotes Quill ink, but the author was unknown. As he flipped through the pages that had writing, he found the ink was jotting down automatically all the toils of his life. Figuring this was important, Frodo found Hermione and spoke to her about it:

“Look at what I found! Look, Hermione!” whispered Frodo, getting her attention. As he showed her the book, Frodo asked her, “What does this book mean?”

“This is the book you’ve told me so much about. I don’t know,” admitted Hermione. “Maybe someone’s recording your life.”

“I’ve got to find out who this person is,” said Frodo, lowering his voice. He darted off in search of Madam Pince. When he found her, Frodo checked the book out and left the library. He would get the results soon enough from Harry, Ron and Hermione, or else do this another day with them.

Returning to the Ravenclaw Boys’ Dormitory, Frodo returned to his bed, sat down and skimmed through the book’s pages for an answer. Any answer would have sufficed. There was little to go on. Now he had his own mission: find the author of this book and see what he or she knew about him that he didn’t. Whatever was going on, someone already knew about him. This was too odd to not go unnoticed.


	22. Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw

Frodo spent much of the next week deciphering who the author of the book was. He got a few hints: the author was a Ravenclaw and a fairly known fanfiction writer. What on Middle-earth was fanfiction? At least he knew this author was also in his house. This was very puzzling. Couldn’t he know the author’s gender? The book added that this particular author was a she.

So it was one of the girls! Bravo for him for finding that out! But eh… which girl?

“Won’t you give me a name?” asked Frodo.

But the book stayed the same, new inked handwriting not appearing on the cover page. Frodo slammed the book shut, frustration seething. Wondering if he did something wrong, Frodo opened the book again to the cover page, only to discover some inked handwriting, directly to him:

**_Don’t damage the merchandise, Frodo Baggins. It is a library book, you know._ **

“A cheeky author,” said Frodo, slightly impressed. “I’ll have to get to know this one in person.” Deciding to be gentle, Frodo closed the book in a quiet manner. He then re-deposited the book inside his satchel, before departing for class.

That day, November 22nd, was his final exam for the Hobbit Introductory class. He couldn’t afford to miss this class, but then he hardly missed a class unless there was a very good reason behind his absence. Frodo met the rest of the hobbit first years in front of the classroom. Pearl looked at him sharply. Why was she still mad at him? As far as he could recall, he had been focused on the game. Wasn’t that important? Hoping not to upset her, Frodo waved to her. The moment was too awkward. Seeing Pearl giggle, Frodo quickly put down his hand. There was a small glint in his eye and a fluttery feeling in his chest, but it was small. He didn’t like girls, did he? This was very awkward.

The door was unlocked by Professor Cheryhill, who returned to her desk as the class filed in. Lotho shoved Frodo, before making his way to the backseat. Ignoring the hobbit that was taller than he, Frodo approached his usual spot and sat down. He looked over his shoulder at Merry, who sat down next to him at the same desk. Pippin sat down at a desk with Sam, while Fredegar sat by himself but right behind Frodo and Merry. Pippin and Sam sat in the middle row, right next to Frodo and Merry’s desk. Frodo stared at the desk, feeling privileged to have friends. Lotho sneered at the five hobbits, a couple of rows ahead of him. At least Lotho had a diagonal direction, so he could see Frodo. It was the perfect angle to pick on Frodo.

Rosie Cotton giggled behind Sam. Getting his attention, Rosie made a small wave his way. Sam blushed before turning back around. Sam had not gone unnoticed.

“Sam, are you all right?” asked Pippin.

“Uh…” Sam could not stop blushing.

Class began with a small lecture from Professor Cherryhill: “Welcome to class. As this is your final class, you will not need to take this again in the years to come. You have all the basics you need and know what you excel at. Therefore, this particular exam will focus on your strengths, but also your weaknesses. You will be tested on each magical skill. This exam will determine what you need to focus on in the years to come and later on, as I have said before. The proctor will be testing each of you individually. You will get your results before Christmas break.” She went in order according to last name. As usual, Frodo wasn’t first, but he was relieved and also growing nervous. What test would the proctor give him?

As the hobbit students filed in and out of the next room, Professor Cherryhill called, “Baggins, Frodo.”

This was it! Nervously, Frodo stood up, walked across the front of the desks and towards an ajar door. Opening the door, Frodo entered what appeared to be an antechamber. There, he found the proctor, a brownish-gold haired hobbit woman, wearing a long set of robes, standing in the center of the room. She turned to him with a studious glint in her eyes.

“Close the door,” said the hobbit lass. It was obvious she had done this before.

Doing as he was told, Frodo shut the door and strode into the room. This hobbit woman looked so much taller than he. He felt very small. The hobbit woman shook her head.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m not intimidating,” said the hobbit proctor.

Well, he did need to get his exam done. Standing next to the hobbit woman now, this proctor made a stone block appear on the table. She instructed Frodo, “Show me you can levitate this stone block, using whatever means necessary to achieve the goal. That is, if you can perform magic.”

If? Stuffing his wand in his breeches’ pocket, Frodo used his hand magic to levitate the stone block, but the task proved difficult. He could only keep the stone block in the air for ten seconds, before dropping it. He was out of breath, putting his hands on his knees to rest. The proctor jotted down some notes on a clipboard, and then nodded to Frodo.

“Good. Now, show me transfiguration. Transform this stone block into an animal and then back again, using whatever means necessary to achieve your goal,” said the hobbit proctor.

That was easy. Regaining his strength, Frodo snapped his fingers at the stone block and turned it into a white chicken. The chicken clucked, bobbing its head and looking at Frodo and the proctor. Before the chicken moved, Frodo snapped his fingers again, transforming the chicken back into a stone block. He did it in rapid time.

The proctor wrote on her parchment again, nodded, and then told Frodo, “Now move the block _using_ magic. One of your classmates already attempted to move the block using his hands and pinched his fingers.”

“Okay,” said Frodo. In rapid time, Frodo used his hand magic to push the block forward a ways.

As soon as the proctor jotted down what she needed, she told Frodo, as she made a brazier appear on top of the block, “Now, light a fire using the spell you learned in Herbology.”

Snapping his fingers, Frodo lit the brazier. He was pleased with himself; however, nervousness seeped in as the proctor wrote down on her clipboard notes that he couldn’t see. How many more tasks would he have to go through?

The proctor told him, “Very good, Mr. Baggins. You may go.”

Relieved, but wondering how well he did, Frodo left the antechamber. Returning to the classroom, Frodo sat back down at his and Merry’s desk. Professor Cherryhill continued reading through the list. However, some of his classmates left the classroom, having already finished their test. Getting up out of his seat, Frodo approached Professor Cherryhill’s desk. He got up on the tops of his toes just so he could see her.

Professor Cherryhill, saying very few words, told Frodo, in a whisper, “You may go. Unless you have something you need to tell me.”

“Thanks,” whispered Frodo back. He put his books away, grabbed his satchel, whispered a farewell to Merry and left the class. He was now free for the rest of the afternoon and the weekend, with the exception of homework and the Quidditch match the next morning between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.

o-o-o

Sometime in the afternoon, that same day, Frodo met with Sam, Merry, Pippin and Fredegar. Frodo wanted to know how they did. He knew he said he wouldn’t talk to them, due to finding out what Harry, Ron and Hermione, but for some reason he couldn’t avoid them.

“How did you think you did?” Frodo asked them all.

“All right,” admitted Merry.

“It wasn’t too bad,” said Pippin. “I thought I did good on the charms part of the exam.”

“I did all right,” said Sam, sheepish.

“What are you talking about, Sam? You told me last week you excel at Herbology,” admitted Frodo, not understanding Sam’s shyness.

“It’s true, Sam,” said Pippin.

Merry said nothing towards Sam’s achievement in Herbology. He did not need to enlighten another O student.

Turning to Fredegar, Frodo asked him, “And how did you think you did, Fatty?”

Fredegar shook his head. “I did horrible!”

“That’s not true…”

“It’s true. I study so hard and I still fumble on the exam. I’m a washout,” cried Fredegar.

“I’m sure that’s not true,” said Frodo.

Merry reminded Frodo: “Don’t you have Quidditch practice?”

“Big game tomorrow,” said Pippin. “We’ll be cheering on the Ravenclaws.”

“What about my house?” asked Sam, befuddled.

Merry looked at Sam, before correcting Pippin. “We’ll be cheering for both Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.”

“Somebody’s gotta win this year,” admitted Pippin.

“Right. I’ll see you later,” said Frodo, charging off down the corridor.

He made it out onto the castle grounds. Heading towards the Quidditch Gate, Frodo arrived right as his teammates were filing out. Frodo approached Ned Timbers, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain. Did he miss something? Why wasn’t he informed?

“I had an exam. I’m sorry. I couldn’t make it,” said Frodo.

“And for that, you’d better be lucky you’re on the team, Frodo. Well, I might as well give you an hour to practice then. But Jeremiah’s going to be tomorrow’s Seeker,” said Timbers. “That isn’t a problem.”

“No sir,” said Frodo, a little depressed.

“Now don’t be down on your luck, Baggins. Suit up and meet me out on the Quidditch pitch,” said Timbers, heading back into the locker room.

As soon as Frodo was in his Quidditch uniform, he followed Timbers out onto the Quidditch Pitch. Clambering onto the beginner’s broomstick, Frodo flew into the air, right as Timbers threw the Snitch. At that, Frodo was off in search of the Snitch. It didn’t take Frodo very long to find the Snitch and raced after it. He must have been very quick because Frodo caught the Snitch in his hand, before gliding down to Timbers. He was more than happy to be back on the ground, but he didn’t elaborate to Timbers.

“Well done, Frodo. If we ever need you as Seeker, in replace of Jeremiah, we’ll let you know. You’re still our Substitute,” admitted Timbers.

“Thanks,” said Frodo, handing the Snitch back to the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, who put it away.

“Let’s head back. I think you’re ready to play an actual game now,” said Timbers.

“And yet you still have Jeremiah,” said Frodo.

“What’s so bad? This is his last year. Let’s give him a chance to win a few games,” admitted Timbers. “You always have an issue with him.”

“Seems I do,” said Frodo. Letting Timbers talk all he wanted, Frodo followed him back to the Ravenclaw locker room. It had been a long day indeed. Tomorrow’s game would be filled with excitement and anticipation. Maybe he would get a chance to play… or maybe not.

o-o-o

“Welcome to the second Quidditch match of the season. For today’s game, it’s Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw. I’m your commentator Lee Jordan. This year we have a new substitute Seeker: Frodo Baggins,” commentated Lee. “Frodo has been a known prankster this year, but will we be able to see him in action? He’s bound to be good…”

“Jordan, no favoritism,” said Professor McGonagall, keeping an eye on Lee.

“Sorry, Professor,” said Lee, sheepish.

Frodo stood in the wooden corridor on the ground level with his beginner’s broomstick. He did not want to find out how the match would turn out, yet he listened in to Lee’s commentary. Lee apparently covered all the action, so Frodo didn’t have to worry about paying attention much to the game on hand:

Lee commentated, “The Quaffle is released… and the match begins! Hufflepuff takes possession of the Quaffle… Ravenclaw isn’t letting Hufflepuff score… Ravenclaw ahead by ten!”

That was good. Maybe Ravenclaw would win. Then Frodo thought of Sam…

“Hufflepuff scores! Tied by ten points!”

The match continued.

“Ravenclaw scores, ahead by twenty – Hufflepuff scores – Hufflepuff scores again, ahead by thirty! Is that the Snitch?” Lee had spotted glinting gold zoom onto the Quidditch pitch. “The Seekers are in pursuit. Jeremiah could give Ravenclaw a chance to win. What’s Jeremiah doing? Well, he’s been the charmer of the seventh years – but can he win a match for Ravenclaw? Jeremiah is in pursuit, but not for long – Hufflepuff wins the match!”

“What?” Frodo asked, confused and bewildered. He did not have binoculars, but he had a feeling that Jeremiah was showing off rather than playing Quidditch. He knew he was angry, but he was mainly keeping it to himself.

The moment his teammates returned to the wooden platform, Frodo had to move out of the way before his teammates rammed him over. They hardly noticed Frodo was there, but then they failed to look down. Frodo returned to the Ravenclaw locker room solo. As he changed back into his hobbit school uniform, he was met by Timbers, who now had an apologetic look on his face.

“Sorry you didn’t have a chance to compete, Frodo,” said Timbers.

“I did warn you about Jeremiah,” whispered Frodo.

Timbers said nothing and walked away, returning to Jeremiah. Feeling alone, Frodo walked towards the gate. Just as he did, Jeremiah approached him. He too had an apologetic look.

“I don’t know what happened out there. I thought I would catch the Snitch,” said Jeremiah.

“It’s okay. You didn’t know what you were doing,” said Frodo.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Of course I know what I’m doing. I love to play Quidditch,” said Jeremiah, not understanding.

“I can see that,” said Frodo. However, he was grabbed by the shoulder and spun around by none other than Jeremiah.

“Don’t toy with me, Baggins. You may be new to Quidditch, but you’re still a first year and a substitute Seeker. Don’t think it’s just you that matters. There are other people that matter too,” said Jeremiah. “I thought I’d give you a lesson before you question anyone older than you again.”

“What’s that mean?” asked Frodo.

“Simple: it’s not just about you,” said Jeremiah. Finding his fellow teammates, Jeremiah left the Ravenclaw locker rooms.

Frodo was still angry with Jeremiah for losing the match against Hufflepuff. Even though Jeremiah’s words were true, it didn’t make up for his actions on the field. Timbers advanced towards him with some helpful news.

Once Jeremiah was well out of earshot, Timbers informed Frodo, “Well, you are right about Jeremiah goofing off. If this behavior keeps up, I may have to replace him with you.”

“If that would help. You don’t have to…”

“No, but we need a good Seeker that can pay attention to the game and you’re it, Frodo,” said Timbers. “The thing is Jeremiah’s been goofing off ever since he’s entered his seventh and final year at Hogwarts. That behavior won’t do out in the real world. That’s why, I’m going to pay attention more to your practices and get you practiced up for the next match against Slytherin. We can’t let Slytherin win this year, like they did last year. I’ll see you at practice, but before then I’ll let you know when we’ll be practicing.”

“Great. Thanks,” said Frodo, heading out of the locker room.

So, after all this time, Timbers needed him to win the next match of the season. It was about time, too. Okay, maybe Frodo did not need to complain so much, but at least his practicing was paying off in the long run. He couldn’t wait to send a letter to his mama. She and Papa would want to hear this triumph, even though the match against Hufflepuff had fallen short for Ravenclaw.


	23. First Final Exam Results

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this chapter, I'd like to thank DoctorWhovian18 for a small idea she gave me, which worked and is coming up.

The weather turned colder outside. Frodo probably spent more time wearing his dragon-hide gloves, cloak, and everything warm and comfortable than taking them off, due to his Herbology class being outside and his Potions class in the dungeons. Although he wanted to worry about height, what concerned him most was the cold. He was usually warm-blooded, but could admit to seeing very few winters in the Shire, which made this an entirely new experience.

In the last four weeks, prior to the end of their first term at Hogwarts, Ron tracked down Frodo in the Great Hall at lunch, where he was drinking hot tea from his goblet. Although they weren’t well acquainted, Ron knew he had to get Frodo warmed up a bit through distraction.

Ron asked Frodo, getting his attention, “Say Frodo, mind playing wizard’s chess for a bit? It’ll help warm you up; besides that tea you’re drinking.”

Frodo glanced up at Ron. Was he serious? “You want to play chess with me?”

“It wouldn’t hurt. Have you ever played chess? With wizard’s chess, the rules are the same as muggle chess, but the pieces move and talk. Come on, I’ll show you. We’re setting up now,” said Ron, heading over to the Gryffindor table.

Frodo drank some of his tea down, before standing up with it. As he spun around, Frodo spilled his hot tea all over Lotho’s green uniform. Lotho yelped in pain. Frodo tried to apologize and searched for a towel, but was grabbed by his vest by Lotho, who looked ready to punch him.

“You’ll pay for this, Baggins!” said Lotho, readying his fist.

Professor McGonagall broke the two hobbit boys up with her words. “Mr. Sackville-Baggins, Mr. Baggins, what’s happened here?”

“ _Frodo_ spilt hot tea all over my clean uniform!” complained Lotho. “He needs to be punished.”

“It was an accident, professor. I didn’t know Lotho was there,” admitted Frodo, an apologetic and truthful look in his eyes.

“Ten points from Slytherin and if I hear another word from you Mr. Sackville-Baggins over an accident, then I hope in the future you learn to behave yourself,” said Professor McGonagall. “Now, run off to the hospital wing. You’ll want to take care of those burns at once.”

“You owe me a uniform, Frodo Baggins,” said Lotho, charging out of the Great Hall. “I don’t know why you spend your days living in two houses. A proper hobbit would only choose to stay in one hobbit-hole.” He wandered off.

“It’s a summer house my parents bought, thanks to Bilbo Baggins, Lotho! That’s the reason I stayed over at Hobbiton!” called Frodo in frustration.

“That’s enough, Mr. Baggins!” called Professor McGonagall back, not in the mood for Frodo and Lotho to start fighting.

Frodo glanced down at his empty goblet. Frustrated and a little parched, Frodo set the goblet down on the table, where he refilled with hot tea. Being careful this time, Frodo made his way over to the Gryffindor table, where indeed Ron and Harry were playing a game of Wizard’s Chess. Harry had just lost against Ron, again. Ron and Harry peered up at Frodo, who set his tea down and joined them and Hermione, who were at a part of the table all to themselves.

“Great job with Lotho!” said Ron. “I couldn’t help overhearing.”

“It was an accident. I didn’t see him behind me,” admitted Frodo. “Still…” He couldn’t help a chuckle.

Hermione said, annoyed, “Honestly, the way you hobbits go after Lotho makes it all seem…”

“Hermione, Lotho’s friends with Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle,” said Ron. “The least that could’ve happened to S.B. was a wet uniform.”

“That’s what everyone nicknames him and his family at home, in the Shire,” said Frodo, sheepish.

“All the more reason to give him that abbreviation,” said Harry. He changed the subject, asking Frodo, “You were going to play Wizard’s chess, too, Frodo?”

Frodo shrugged. “It seems I am.” He took another long sip of his tea, before setting it down on the table.

As Frodo moved over to Harry’s spot, setting his goblet down a few inches away from the board, Hermione asked him, “So, you’re going home too, Frodo? I hear Sam and his siblings are staying at Hogwarts, Merry and Pippin as well. Fredegar’s going home, too.”

“I am returning home. I miss my parents. I know Merry and Pippin don’t have any particular reason for staying here, unless their parents…”

“Well, they are rich,” whispered Hermione.

“What? And Frodo’s not?” asked Ron.

“I’m average. My father’s a respectable hobbit and I love my mother with all my heart. I guess I look up to my father, but he’s taken to eating a lot of food. He favors food, especially my grandfather’s cooking. I don’t see the point,” said Frodo.

“You’re a hobbit, ain’t you? I thought food was a necessity, or so Merry tells us,” asked Ron.

“I know. I guess I’m something of an oddball. Maybe that’s fine,” said Frodo.

“You don’t have to be like everybody else, Frodo. You can be you,” said Hermione.

“Thanks Hermione,” said Frodo, grinning at her.

Ron was clearly annoyed. “All right. Let’s play chess. Do you know how to play chess, Frodo?”

“Not really. How do you play?” asked Frodo, curious.

“Well, the rules are fairly simple to understand: basically, you need to keep your king away from the opposing pieces. The queen and all the other pieces protect your king. The goal here is to get your defending pieces to your opponents’ king with a check. In the final turn, a checkmate ends the game and you win. Are you with me so far?”

“I think I understand. You have a king and surrounding pieces defending that king. The goal is to complete the game with a check and checkmate when you block your opponent’s king,” said Frodo.

“Exactly,” said Harry. He admitted, “Although, I’m terrible at chess.”

“Well, let’s see how Frodo does,” said Ron, giving some optimism. “And since my chess pieces are white, I get to go first.”

And so the game began. Because the chess pieces Frodo was using were Seamus Finnegan’s chess pieces, they did their best to instruct Frodo in how to play. Of course, the chess pieces were rather obnoxious and became immediately annoyed if Frodo told a piece to move somewhere that wasn’t correct. Eventually, after losing his first match to Ron, a thought crept up on Frodo about a similar game he played in the Shire:

“Now that I think on it, there’s a similar game we play in the Shire. It’s called Ro-bust, only instead of protecting anyone, you have to knock your opponent’s pieces off the board and be victorious by the number of pieces you have over your opponent. It’s a rough board game. Our army usually plays it to see whose mentality is better,” explained Frodo. “It’s quite strategic.”

“It’s called robust?” Hermione asked.

“Ro-bust, with a hyphen between the “ro” and the “bust”,” asked Frodo.

“Oh, Ro-bust,” said Hermione, understanding now.

Ron was confused. “What does it matter? It all sounds the same to me.”

“It depends. Do you want a game based on strength or would you rather bust up opponent’s pieces? It’s two different meanings, Ron,” said Frodo.

“No it isn’t,” said Ron, getting into an argument with Frodo.

“Whatever,” said Frodo, not wanting to get into an argument.

“It doesn’t matter which way it’s called. Let’s just call it square and move on,” said Harry, ending Frodo and Ron’s argument right then and there.

Ron asked Frodo, politely, “Ready for another round?”

“All right, but one more round,” said Frodo, knowing he had other things to do.

And so Ron and Frodo played another match. Again, Frodo lost. Ron was just too good of a chess player that Frodo couldn’t particularly beat him, but then Frodo was getting strategic and figuring out ways to stay on the board a little longer. By the end of the round, Frodo left the Great Hall, waving to the trio in a see-you-later-until-next-time manner. Harry, Ron and Hermione continued their conversation, as Harry returned to his spot before the chess board.

o-o-o

On the second week before Christmas break, Professor McGonagall took down names of those staying at Hogwarts for the holidays. Harry signed up at once. Lotho didn’t sign up, for he knew he would be returning home to his dear mother. Frodo didn’t sign up either, and though Lotho picked on him for it, Frodo knew he needed to spend time with family, make amends and do whatever it took to be with them. He did not know why he felt this way, but this year would be special. Fredegar was another that didn’t sign up, as he missed his sister and wanted to see her dearly. As for Sam, Merry and Pippin, they all signed up. Merry didn’t have siblings, but then he wanted for once to see what it was like away from the crowds. Ron and his brothers signed up because their parents were heading to Romania over the holidays to see their brother Charlie.

Also during that week, Hogwarts was covered in several feet of snow. Frodo felt all the more cold and would drink lots of hot tea in the Great Hall, just to rejuvenate himself. This was the only season where he didn’t care how tall or short everyone was, but it was still annoying him at times. Or maybe the cold numbed his thoughts. All he could think about was the cold. In a way, he was relieved there wasn’t snow in the Shire during the winter months, but then – now that he recalled – the Shire didn’t have much of a winter. While he didn’t mind the snow, it was the cold that chilled him. He could do without the cold.

While bundled up, on the last week of classes, before the end of term, Frodo received from his brown owl Prim his exam results from his Hobbit Introduction to Magic class. He passed with flying colors! He scanned the page from left to right, finding that on the note read that his Charm spells needed practicing but he made a great effort. At least everything else was flawless and he could now move on to his regular classes without the introduction course. Storing the parchment back in the envelope, Frodo placed his exam results inside his trunk, closing it and locking it. His parents would want to see his exam results, that much was certain. Good thing he wrote his parents a letter, telling them ahead of time he would be returning home for the holidays.

As he walked around the school that Friday afternoon, now free from classes and nearing the end of term, Frodo was met by Merry, Pippin, Sam and Fredegar. They were the only four to still carry around their final exam results. Pippin looked about Frodo for his exam results.

“Where’s your exam results from our introduction class?” asked Pippin.

Frodo told the four hobbit boys, “Oh, I already put it away in my dormitory. Sorry.”

“How did you do, Frodo?” asked Merry.

“Oh, I did pretty well. With Charms, I still need some work, but the rest is flawless,” said Frodo. As the four hobbit boys congratulated him, Frodo turned to Sam and asked him, “How did you do, Sam?”

“Oh, eh… it’s nothing,” said Sam, doing his best to hide his envelope.

Frodo snatched the envelope from Sam, who flustered at getting it back from him. Opening the parchment, Frodo read the results aloud: “Says here you passed Herbology flawlessly. Your classes still need work, you’re acceptable in Charms and… you excel at Transfiguration.”

Sam swiped the parchment and envelope away from Frodo. As he stuffed the parchment back inside the envelope, Sam admitted in grief, “That isn’t my only concern. I’ve lost my sister’s cat Cotton. She got out again and is now roaming about the castle somewhere.”

“Do you know where she ran off? Maybe we can find her,” said Merry, welcoming the search.

“I think Cotton wandered off into the kitchens. I’ll find her. But she doesn’t like me that well. She likes my sister Marigold,” admitted Sam. “Anyway, my father will have my head for these grades. I’m relieved I’m staying here. I can go on the search for Cotton.”

“Isn’t there something we can do?” asked Frodo.

“I don’t think so. I mean, we all came here in different years at home. No, I’m on my own for this. Lucky my brothers did a lot better than me,” admitted Sam.

“We’ll find your cat, Sam,” said Pippin, willing to help him out.

“Thank you, you two,” said Sam, blushing with enthusiasm at Merry and Pippin, forgetting that Frodo also agreed to help find his cat.

“I probably should head back to the Gryffindor Tower. Get packing,” said Fredegar. “Of course, there isn’t much to pack.”

“I’ll come with you. I might as well head to the Ravenclaw Tower for a while, warm up,” said Frodo, following the taller hobbit boy. As they walked through the corridors and up the Grand Staircase, Frodo asked Fredegar, “So, how did you do on your exams?”

“Fairly well. All that studying paid off. I got ‘Exceeds Expectations’ on the spell work. I wonder why we weren’t tested in Potions, if you got that part in your exam. Some students did. I didn’t,” said Fredegar.

“Neither did I. If anything, I’d probably get Exceeds Expectations, nothing higher. I don’t like Snape. He picks on me too much. It’s almost as bad as Harry,” admitted Frodo.

“Well… I hope I see you around when we get back home. Hey, we could have the same compartment,” said Fredegar.

“Yeah, we could,” said Frodo, unsure how it would be on the train home.

Returning to the Ravenclaw Tower, Frodo felt loneliness creep up on him. He wanted to help find Sam’s cat, but Sam, strangely enough, listened to Merry and Pippin more than he. Maybe he missed something. Still, he wanted to drop off his books, supplies and satchel in the Boys’ Dormitory. Returning to the dorm, Frodo put away his books and supplies in his trunk. He wouldn’t need this stuff until he got back at Hogwarts. Oh well. Maybe he could find Fred and George. Yup, that sounded like a good idea, before term ended.

Frodo left the Ravenclaw Boys’ Dormitory with a new mission: find Fred and George Weasley. They were bound to come up with something new… maybe a new secret passageway! Either way, the mischievous side to Frodo Baggins wasn’t fully finished yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ro-bust is a game I just invented. I’m not sure if the rules relate to any other games, but I hope this time I invented a game that’s new. At least the rules are similar to chess and you still get to knock off opponent’s pieces.


	24. The Train Ride Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I would like to thank LOTCR for her ideas for this chapter, including the reveal of the mysterious author writing the book in Frodo's name.
> 
> Yeah, this one was a tricky chapter because the books don’t say what first years travel in during the winter holidays from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade Station. I know first years travel in boats at the beginning and end of the school year from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade Station. So to end my misery over this part of the chapter, I have thrown this out altogether because I simply don’t want to fiddle with it any longer. With that said, I hope you readers enjoy the chapter.

On the morning of the end of term and the trip from Hogwarts back to Platform 9 ¾, Frodo was caught at the Entrance Hall by Sam. Frodo wondered what was up with him. Maybe he would learn the answer now before he left.

“Sam, I’m delighted to see you,” admitted Frodo. “You’ve been avoiding me. Whatever for?”

“Oh, I hope you enjoy the holidays,” said Sam.

“But this isn’t on your mind,” said Frodo, getting the feeling Sam wasn’t being so truthful with him.

“I don’t want you to go off on your own. What if you get hurt, or you pull a prank and Sam isn’t there to pull you out whenever you…”

Frodo stifled a laugh. “Sam, I’ll be fine. Besides… we live in different times, even though we’re both from the Shire. You’ll do fine without me. You have Merry and Pippin.” He ended the conversation there, but not without saying farewell to Sam, in a way that said I’ll-see-you-soon. He could feel Sam’s troubled gaze on him as he headed out onto the courtyard. The doors closed slowly behind him, as if he were already leaving behind memories, happy prank-filled memories.

It was going to be a long Christmas/Yule Break.

o-o-o

Frodo and the rest of the students did arrive at the Hogwarts Express on time. The feeling of being back on the train was surreal to Frodo. It had only been four months and yet they were bliss. He had changed so much; he didn’t feel like the same person, the same hobbit, as he was when he first started his journey through the wizardry school. It was true: he was still shy, and yet at the same time he had grown and was a little more confident, a little braver.

Once again, Frodo had a compartment to himself, as Fredegar and Hermione were wandering elsewhere through the train. That was fine. Frodo still hadn’t acquainted himself too much with Fredegar and Hermione, but then he did miss the company. Peering up at the windows, he could see frost on them. The windows were chilled, yet there was a large hole-like space where he saw the outside, which was covered in snow, especially on the trees. It all looked like a winter wonderland. For once, Frodo appreciated the winter weather and it felt good.

What only made the train ride unbearable was the fact that Lotho and Draco Malfoy were aboard as well. Thankfully, the two scumbags were in a different compartment. Maybe if Frodo was lucky, Lotho wouldn’t leech towards him and pester him. So far, that hadn’t happened.

The food trolley witch came around. She asked Frodo, “Anything from the trolley, dear?”

“Oh,” said Frodo, pulling out his wizard money. Approaching the trolley, Frodo gave his order, “Two cauldron cakes, one pumpkin pastie and a liquorice wand.” He figured he might try something new.

After paying for the sweets and taking a seat, dropping the sweets on the seat, Frodo opened the packet and tried the Liquorice Wand. The first bite exploded in his mouth, as if the tanginess of the liquorice was too distinct to not forget. The smell of the Liquorice Wand right away cleared his nostrils, allowing him to breathe a lot better, as if he wasn’t already breathing regularly. The tiny bit of sweetness in the liquorice was enough to draw him in more to the taste of the wizard sweet. He fell in love with the Liquorice Wand, as if it was his new best friend. This encouragement alone allowed him to gobble the Liquorice Wand down, his mind begging for a second. Deciding then to stop by the buffet car a little later, Frodo dug into his pumpkin pastie.

Frodo was moments into eating his cauldron cakes when he heard a soft knock on the door frame. Frodo glanced at the compartment’s doorway, only to find himself face-to-face with an twelve-year-old girl with thick locks of brown hair. This girl was already wearing her regular clothes, which consisted of blue jeans, tennis shoes, a pink shirt with flower designs sewn in, and a white hoodie jacket. Frodo nearly mistaken her for a Hobbit, since she had pointy ears, but what really stuck out was the fact that her hair was straighter than the average Hobbit’s hair. He right away suspected, apart from the girl’s short height, she belonged to the Race of Men. How on Middle-earth earth did this girl end up as a Hobbit?

The brown-haired girl was obviously very shy because she timidly asked Frodo, “Is it all right if I sit with you?” She zoned out, embarrassment streaked across her face in a way that was too obvious not to avoid showing. And she mumbled.

Frodo asked again, “What? A little louder, please.” He did not want to frighten the poor girl. At the same time, the heavy silence was almost too awkward to avoid. Then he saw the same blue book with the gold lettering from the library at Hogwarts. Did this girl steal from the library? Or maybe it was a copy she had bought. Either way, he would find out soon enough. Still, the girl didn’t answer. She just stood awkwardly in the corridor. Frodo tried again, even though he didn’t really feel comfortable talking to girls… however, he felt a little drawn to her for reasons even he couldn’t explain. “You can come in if you wish.”

The girl was quick to take a seat directly across from him. Setting the book on her lap, as if it was unwise to take it away from her, the girl told him, “Thanks. I’m Aria Breuer. You must be Frodo Baggins.”

Now he felt awkward. Keeping his gaze off of Aria’s, Frodo asked her, pointing to the book, “Where did you get that?”

Aria hesitated greatly. Gathering her courage, Aria admitted, “This is the copy I was given by Dumbledore. He wanted me to keep tabs on you, seeing as you’re important… but then all hobbits are important when they come to Hogwarts. They find their books eventually. Now I’m talking too much.” She felt embarrassed, like the weight of the world was on her shoulders in a constant repetition. She right away apologized, “I’m sorry. I’m a devoted fan of yours and I’m new to your books that were already written by J.R.R. Tolkien. Oh, maybe I spoke too much. Aren’t you Frodo Baggins?”

Frodo nodded. “I am. So there are books written about me?”

Now Aria was thoroughly embarrassed, like she had stepped into a territory she shouldn’t have crossed. She admitted, truthfully, “Just about your later years. Of course now, events will change a bit… or maybe not.”

“Well, that explains why the Muggle-borns are fawning over me, including Hermione Granger. Let me guess: you’re a Muggle-born,” said Frodo, serious.

Aria was definitely out of her element and it showed too much all over her face, like she couldn’t stand to be in the same compartment as Frodo. She was only in her prime with _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy. She admitted, truthfully, “Yes. I’m in Ravenclaw, the same year as you.”

“I don’t exactly remember you being in my year,” said Frodo.

Aria was offended now. While she was grateful to find her courage more, her anger took over right away. “Well I am, Frodo Baggins.” Then her anger changed to informing Frodo, “I was sorted into Ravenclaw at the beginning of the term. It was Dumbledore who found me and brought me here. After the sorting, I was taken into this room by the Ravenclaw prefect, where I was asked to take a quill. The second I found this quill, a hawk’s quill, it was then that I was selected to be your author during your years at Hogwarts.” She showed him the hawk’s feather quill, before stuffing it inside her jean’s pocket.

True, Frodo had been listening intently to Aria’s outburst, he felt rightly afraid of her defensive manner. She was a girl after all. But this particular girl seemed a bit too defensive. Maybe she was related to Hermione, and he was just getting used to being around her.

While there was another silence, and before Aria retreated too much into herself, Frodo admitted, “Are you this way all the time with people?”

“No,” said Aria, calming down somewhat. “I try not to be.”

“So it was you who wrote that cheeky message in the book,” said Frodo, changing the subject.

Aria nodded fiercely, before admitting, “Which one?”

Frodo was stunned, but nearly laughing. There was something about this girl he found quite humorous and he did not know why that was. He said, “The one where I slammed the book.”

Aria remembered now. “Oh, that one! Well, you were acting stubborn. I thought I’d give you a taste of your own medicine.” _Gosh, it felt so easy to talk to Frodo,_ she thought.

“Well, it worked,” said Frodo.

There was another silence. Just as Frodo and Aria spoke at the same time, they stopped, chuckling softly in embarrassment.

Aria admitted as she stood up, “Well, I’ll leave you to your candy.”

What was he doing? Frodo hardly knew as he stood up and stopped Aria in her tracks. Aria turned around all too quickly, as if some cat was rampaging across the compartment. Frodo asked her, “Would you like to come to my parents’ house for Yule dinner?”

Aria made an excuse. “Well, I’m going to be spending time at the house Dumbledore assigned to us authors for Christmas break. They’re meant to keep us authors safe until next term, during the summer, et cetera.”

“So, you really don’t have anywhere to go for Yule break?” asked Frodo, pitying her.

“No. I mean, I could go home, but Dumbledore doesn’t want us authors to for the next seven years. It’s a tradition held since the first hobbits came to Hogwarts,” said Aria. “Or so I was told.”

“Yes and while that’s true, I mean you can spend the holidays with me and my parents, if you want to. That way, you would get to know me better, instead of keeping a distance from me. It’s called collaboration. Besides, I would feel a lot better myself if we made this arrangement. How good of a writer are you?” asked Frodo.

“I’m still new to the craft,” admitted Aria, truthfully.

“Well, maybe I can help you there. My parents taught me how to write my letters. Maybe it would benefit each other,” said Frodo. Why was he doing this? Allowing himself to be this close to a girl… it was unheard of in his book.

Aria was glowing with excitement. Yes! Now she had her chance to get to know Frodo… wait, she still had a crush on Frodo? Well, at least she could find out… no, it was better to wait and see if this was more than a crush or just a crush. She nodded and told Frodo, “Okay. I’ll go grab my trunk!”

Frodo stopped her. “Wait. Why don’t you wait until after I’ve changed? What compartment are you in?”

“Compartment B,” said Aria.

Frodo nodded. “Then I’ll meet you there after the train stops. How about that?”

Disappointment crossed Aria’s face. “All right.”

Feeling guilty, Frodo stopped her again. “Wait, Aria. I mean, if you want to stay in my compartment, you can. I’ll just have to get dressed.”

“Okay,” said Aria, nodding. She took off a moment later.

Once again, Frodo searched for a way to get his trunk off the rack. He was helped this time by an older Ravenclaw student, who set his trunk down on the seat before departing. The moment he was done changing into a white dress shirt, brown breeches, a white dress shirt, a green vest with gold designs, and a deep emerald green jacket, there was a knock on the compartment door. Pulling up the shades, Frodo opened the compartment door to find Aria enter with her trunk and her tawny owl. Frodo’s brown owl screeched upon seeing another owl enter hers and Frodo’s compartment. Frodo quickly closed and locked his trunk.

Aria commented right away, after she set her owl’s cage down on the seat, “Green huh?”

Frodo shrugged. “I like it. But my favorite color is blue. It’s the honest truth.”

“Blue is my favorite color, too. I love all shades of blue, so it doesn’t matter to me,” said Aria, sitting down across from him.

Frodo looked out at the sky and admitted, “Well, I love the ocean blue. I feel as if I’m meant to be with the sea. The Black Lake helped me see the shade more clearly. That’s my favorite shade of blue.”

Aria said in agreement, “I like that shade of blue. Somehow, I like being near any body of water, to an extent.”

“What’s that mean?” asked Frodo.

“I can’t swim,” said Aria. “I’m… afraid of the water.”

Frodo nearly chuckled at that. “It’s fine. I don’t know how to swim either.”

“Then we’re in the same boat,” said Aria. She got back on track, “Well, I better send a message to the authors’ house, telling them why I won’t be staying with them for the holidays.”

“Oh,” said Frodo, heading straight for his trunk. Once he pulled out a piece of parchment and an envelope, he handed them to Aria, who already pulled out her quill and an ink bottle, setting them both on one of the small folded tables. “Here you go.”

“Oh, thanks,” said Aria, taking the parchment and envelope. Being precise and careful with her words, Aria wrote her letter. She then brought her tawny owl over to the window. Frodo opened the window for her, so Aria could hand her tawny owl the sealed envelope before her tawny owl flew away. She returned her gaze to Frodo, who closed the window for her before it became too cold. “Thanks. Hedwer can be a handful, but he’s a good owl through and through.”

“Hedwer? You named your owl after Harry’s owl?” asked Frodo, confused.

Aria looked at him, stunned. She blushed in embarrassment. “Well… I did. It’s a long story and it’s a childhood fascination of mine to name a male owl Hedwer. That’s all I’ll go into with it. At least the Head of House at the house where I’m staying knows now where I’ll be for Christmas holidays.”

“That’s true,” said Frodo.

Hermione rushed towards Frodo’s compartment. She told Frodo, “The train will be arriving at the station soon.” She looked at Aria and said, smiling, “Oh, I see you’ve met Aria. She’s a shy one, isn’t she?”

“Yes, but I think she’s all right,” said Frodo, looking Aria’s way.

“You think so?” asked Aria, stunned but glowing with excitement.

Frodo nodded, grinning at her.

Hermione felt like a third wheel. “Oh. Well, I’ll leave you two alone.” She darted out of the compartment without saying another word to either one.

Aria felt ashamed. Now the whole school would be chattering about her acquaintanceship with Frodo Baggins. She needed to stop this… fast. The last thing she wanted was the whole of Hogwarts talking about her.

“Frodo, I…” That’s when she saw the calm look on Frodo’s face. Maybe it was best not to disappoint him. Calming down, Aria asked him, “Do you think you can help me with the cage? Hedwer’s cage can be a bit tricky to open and close.”

“Sure,” said Frodo, heading over to the cage. It was easy for him to close the cage door, but he knew this was not on Aria’s mind. Turning to her, Frodo asked in seriousness, “What is it?”

Aria couldn’t lie in front of Frodo. So, she told the truth to him. “The whole school will be talking about us, thinking we’re in a relationship. I know they will be.”

“And this isn’t what you want?” asked Frodo.

“I like to keep my reputation set. There’s too much studying going on and I want everybody to like me…” Aria was depressed now. She lowered her head in shame.

Frodo could tell Aria’s mind was elsewhere. Why was she being so closed off on him? Pressing a finger to her chin, raising it so he could see her face and hazel green eyes, Frodo told her, “That’s not a very wise way to go about school. If you’re too involved in your work, you’ll miss a lot.” Aria was discouraged. Frodo decided to cheer her up. “Well, look at it this way: you get another chance to start over.”

Aria was stunned. Did he know something she didn’t? “Thanks.”

Frodo moved his finger off her chin. He felt very awkward around her. Their moment shattered when they heard the train conductor tell the students they were reaching the station, and to grab their belongings. Frodo and Aria grabbed their trunks and owls – technically, Aria now had her cage, whereas Frodo had his brown owl Prim inside her cage – and headed outside the train. There, Frodo helped Aria with her trunk, before leading her in search of his parents. The second he saw them, Frodo greeted them with hugs. It was something his mother hadn’t expected, but his father soon warmed up to his son.

After embraces were done, Drogo asked about the new girl, “And who is this?”

Frodo grinned at Aria and said to his parents in introduction, “Mama, Papa, this is Aria Breuer. Is it all right if she stays with us for the holidays? I mean, she’s currently staying at the authors’ house, wherever that is, and I figured she may need a place where she feels welcome.”

“I remember hearing about that place, but I never went in there,” said Primula.

“I have. I know what authors’ houses are like,” said Drogo. Seeing Aria shuffle her feet and staying quiet, Drogo told her, politely, “Of course you can stay. Follow us.”

Primula told Aria, “I’ll take your cage and your trunk off your hands.” She did just that.

Thankful to have free hands, Aria followed Frodo and his family towards a wooden round hobbit-hole door. After a brief instruction and all four thinking of the place they wanted to go, Drogo opened the door so they could all enter the hobbit house in Buckland. Aria was amazed and stunned – did I mention she had her fangirl squeal, while embarrassing herself – to actually be inside a hobbit-hole for the first time in her life. Frodo looked at her a bit strange, but understood this was how fangirls reacted. Maybe he shouldn’t be expecting much, but then… how was he supposed to know or understand Aria? He had yet to see what waited for him just being around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, as you can now tell, the fanfiction author is me. Now, there’s a difference between the me in this story and the me outside of it. This was me back in my childhood/pre-teen years and yes I was extremely shy back then and just starting into _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy. Also, it gives me an idea of what it’s like being around Frodo Baggins in person, as far as this story can carry. Well, there you go. The long-awaited chapter, only long waited due to a massive writer’s block. Now, onto the Christmas | Yule holidays!


	25. Homesick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DoctorWhovian18 and Frodo did remind me that, at this age, before what happens to his parents, Frodo did have friends and enjoyed being around friends. I know there’s a reason for why Frodo was acting like a loner, and that reason is coming up. Also, the chapter was moving too fast again, so it’s time to slow it down once more. This is not a fast-paced story.
> 
> Yes, I am aware I put Frodo's name down as one of those who gave me ideas. Honestly, I don't care as Frodo and his friends have always been around to help me write my stories, poems, etc. So a big thank you to them.

The first feeling Frodo felt was relief; relief that he was home, in a familiar land. Sure, Hogwarts was great and all, and he might never see the wizardry world or its students again, but the Shire was what he was all too familiar with. Frodo had friends here, friends who would be asking what became of him. Even Fatty must be around somewhere, waiting to hear the most extraordinary news. Either way, Frodo was happy to be home and that was all that mattered, right?

As he followed Aria into the Entrance Hall, Frodo thought he heard Aria squeal like a little fangirl. Frodo heard the term from Fred and George Weasley, but somehow the hobbit boy could never fully grasp what that word meant. True, Frodo was still jealous of Harry Potter and his fame, but hearing it from Aria made Frodo come to grasp with the word ‘fan’. It had grown tiresome after a while, with Harry and all, but Frodo was certain now that Aria must be a fangirl, too.

_Uh oh,_ thought Frodo, making the immediate assumption that Aria would be pelting him with dozens of questions about him and his family. He knew he needed to stop her before she went fan-crazy.

Shortly after setting their cloaks on the rack, Frodo’s small cloak as well, Drogo and Primula invited Aria into the dining room. Frodo followed, catching a glimpse of the night sky through the wide parlor window, before following his family past the kitchen and into the large dining room.

In the dining room was a maple dining table long enough to fit at least a dozen family members. The chairs were also made of maple wood and were fourteen altogether. Along the walls was large kitchen storage furniture, filled with an assortment of clean dishes. There weren’t very many of the kitchen storage cabinets and they were narrow, but wide enough to fit a large amount of dishes. Aria was impressed by this dining room. She felt at home here, but then the whole hobbit house felt welcoming. Frodo sat down across from Aria as Primula came out of the kitchen with dishes full of food. This was their supper and Frodo knew it.

Drogo pointed out to Frodo, “Your mother and I already ate our dinner and supper, but you two children are more than welcome to help yourselves.”

“Thank you, Papa,” said Frodo, showing off a cheery grin.

Aria perked up and asked, as she ate down a chicken leg, “Frodo looks happier, like he’s at peace. You want to tell me why that is.”

Frodo was a bit confused by the question. He said, chipper, “I’m just happy to be home.”

Drogo admitted, truthfully, “I will admit, before this whole business with wizardry and sorcery, Frodo has always had a lot of friends. His life has been a pleasant one.”

“His letters were most distressing. Frodo wanted to go home,” Primula turned to her son, “but your father and I made it clear that you could not go home. You had to stay at Hogwarts. After a while, these distressing letters stopped coming. But you know, Frodo, this is only until your Christmas/Yule holidays ends and you’ll be back at Hogwarts.”

There was a pause in the conversation. Frodo looked up, a distressful look swept across his face, “What?”

“You have to go back to Hogwarts, son,” said Drogo, hoping Frodo would understand.

But Frodo hardly grasped what this meant. Surely he would be staying at home, forgetting the whole ordeal with magic. It’s what he wanted. “But Papa, Mama, I’m happy here. I’m home. Shouldn’t there be some sort of a way to stay behind?”

“Son, you have to go back,” said Drogo.

“Don’t you love me?” asked Frodo to his parents. He ignored Aria in this moment, nearly forgetting she was there.

Drogo told him, sincere, “Son, we do love you, but there has to be a time when you can stand on your own.”

“I’m not ready for this. I didn’t ask for any of this,” snapped Frodo. “You can’t make me go back.”

“But do you love it there?” asked Primula. This jolted Frodo out of his own reverie.

Why would his mother ask him this question? And yet he knew how to answer. “Of course I do. Hogwarts feels like a second home. But…” Frodo was in shock. Did his parents love him enough to send him back or was there more to this puzzle? “But I miss home, my friends and family, you two, my loving parents. Couldn’t I stay here for a while?”

Drogo sighed with a heavy heart. He shook his head, confirming Frodo’s fears. “You have to hold out for when this school year ends and the next six years. Afterwards, you can go do wherever you wish, just not before or after. You are not the first hobbit who wants to stay home, and yet you must go back.”

“But it was awful there,” said Frodo.

“You made friends, didn’t you? Surely you can hold out a while longer,” said Drogo.

“I’m not going back,” said Frodo, serious.

“Son, that’s not your decision,” said Primula.

“Does it really have to be your decision or don’t I have a say in the matter?” asked Frodo.

“Frodo, you’re twelve years old; live life as a child while you still can. You’ll start making your own decisions as you grow up and age. For now, enjoy this,” said Drogo, being sincere.

“It may be your only opportunity to experience this. Wouldn’t you rather live in the moment?” asked Primula, coaxing her son as Drogo was doing.

Frodo said nothing. There was too much silence and his mind was too occupied to think of anything else. So his parents did love him, yet they still wanted to send him back. Hogwarts had grown on him, it was true, but Frodo felt alone in an unfamiliar environment. The Shire was his home. Wasn’t being in his country mattered the most to him? Surely it did. Nothing could separate him from home. And in the morning, he would see his eight year old friend, Fatty Bolger, and everything would go according to plan. Nothing would change. Nothing…

After supper, Frodo washed his hands and his mouth in the bathroom that was his. It felt so nice to be home. He had no plans on going anywhere. As he took his trunk into his bedroom, Primula found Drogo watching his son from his study doorway. Primula knew at once that something was bothering her husband; she had a feeling she already knew what that was, before Drogo said anything.

“He still hasn’t grasped the idea of staying at Hogwarts,” said Primula.

“He wouldn’t let up on it. Hogwarts was a pleasant experience for us,” said Drogo. “Of course, James Potter was an interesting fellow. We had good times with him.”

“ _You_ had good times, Drogo,” said Primula, muttering in his ear. “Most of mine were wondering when Mother would send the new socks she knitted for Lily.”

“I wasn’t the one who missed home a lot,” said Drogo.

Primula was stunned. “You? You spent half of your first two years crying over when you would see your parents again, and home.”

“Yes, I suppose that’s true. It seems Frodo has caught on to my antics,” said Drogo. “He will never truly leave the Shire.”

Frodo, meanwhile, could hear his parents murmuring about him. Though he hardly caught what his parents were going on about, Frodo only let this bother him for a few seconds. Setting his trunk down in front of his dark wood bookcase, Frodo unlatched it and opened its lid. His heart stopped the second he spotted all his things and clothes. His blue school uniform reminded him too much of Hogwarts. Yet why did he feel like a piece of him was still at the school? A tear slipped down his cheek. Frodo brushed it away, before grabbing his night clothes.

Just as he was about to get dressed, Frodo heard a rasp on the wood of the door frame. He turned sharply around as, standing before him, was Aria. She wanted to talk to him. Great, or maybe he should have chosen not to invite her to his parents’ house.

“What do you want?” asked Frodo, gloating.

“I came to see how you were doing,” said Aria.

“Well, I’m fine,” said Frodo.

“You know you can’t lie,” said Aria.

At that, Frodo snapped at her, “How do you know so much about me?”

“That’s what I was told. I still haven’t read your book trilogy yet,” said Aria, sheepish.

Frodo did not want to hear this now. “Great. Now there’s a book trilogy on me.”

“What’s gotten you?” asked Aria, surprised at him.

Frodo paused. This wasn’t like him. Calming down, Frodo told her, “I’m sorry. It’s been a rough time.”

“Because you missed home,” said Aria.

“That’s part of it. I don’t want to go back to Hogwarts,” said Frodo.

“You heard your parents,” said Aria.

“I know, but… can’t they understand how I feel? Why do they want to kick me out of the house so much, out of the Shire? This is home to me, Aria. It’s where I belong,” said Frodo, hoping to gain support from her.

Aria paused. What could she say to this? “I wish I could help you.”

“Can you? I would really appreciate it,” said Frodo. Relief swept over him, making him feel calmer. “Thank you, Aria. You’re a good friend.” He returned to his unpacking. Great, now he wouldn’t have to return to Hogwarts. Things were looking up for him.

Feeling sheepish, Aria darted out of the room. The moment she saw Frodo’s parents, fear set in. It was the fear she was used to having being around parents, no matter who they were. Frodo was counting on her. She couldn’t mess this up, right? Then again, Aria was known for causing disaster.

Stopping in front of Drogo, Aria shyly asked him, sending the message along, “Um… Frodo wants to stay in the Shire. He doesn’t feel comfortable at Hogwarts.”

Drogo glared at her. “Frodo sent you out here to tell us this. We’re not changing our minds. Frodo is going back to Hogwarts after the holidays are over.”

Primula kneeled before Aria and told her, “Dear, I know you wants what’s best for Frodo, but you needn’t be his messenger. This matter is between his father, myself and our son, not you. You don’t have to do anything.”

Aria was stunned. She didn’t like not doing anything. It made her feel like a failure.

Primula told her, calmly, “Why don’t you go to bed. We’ll talk with Frodo in the morning, but you don’t have to be a part of our conversation, all right?”

Aria nodded fiercely. She felt concerned that Frodo would be against her. As she searched for the guest room, Aria caught Frodo glaring at his parents and then at her. What had she done? All she did was deliver his message. Aria avoided his gaze as she neared the guest room, which was right next to Frodo’s bedroom. She could feel Frodo’s glare pestering her. Quickly, Aria closed the guest room door. She was terrified of him. Was there any way to convince Frodo that his parents were in the right? Maybe Hogwarts was good for him. She could hear Frodo slamming his bedroom door, followed by his mother barking at him not to slam doors in their house. However, Frodo did not come out, except to go to the bathroom.

It had been a long night and things were just getting better, or worse, thought Aria.


	26. One Wild Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DoctorWhovian18 and Frodo, yes Frodo, actually gave me an idea for what’s to come in the coming chapters. This chapter is more like another trigger that Frodo desperately needs to get his character right at this point in the story. Frodo’s horrific dream was inspired by three things: the weird dream I had on the morning of July 2nd, 2015 that apparently wouldn’t stop and I thought a few times I would wake up but didn’t; the episode “Path of the Jedi” from “Star Wars: Rebels”; and Ebenezer Scrooge’s dream that makes up the story _A Christmas Carol_ by Charles Dickens. Trust me, it’s a trigger dream and since I haven’t done a dream in a while, this should really help bring Frodo around in this story.

Frodo had a hard time sleeping that night. He was still angry at his parents, still mad at Aria for acting sheepish and agreeing to their wishes. Wasn’t there a way he could get what he wanted, just once? Then at last, he finally slept and had a long dream, with hardly an end in sight:

_Frodo was at his parents’ hobbit house. It was midday. Standing in the middle of the hallway were his parents. They were talking about him, as if he had done something terrible. But there was something wrong… they weren’t paying attention to him. He tried yelling, but found he was only speaking in his mind, instead of speaking to his parents. Odd. Why was this happening to him?_

_“He should go to Hogwarts. It’ll be good for him,” said Primula._

_“He needs to grow up. Start being a mature hobbit. It’s no good complaining,” said Drogo. “He should go to Hogwarts.”_

_I’m right here, thought Frodo loudly. There was still no answer from his parents._

_Then they saw him. As Primula and Drogo watched him, Frodo’s gaze fell towards the hallway, where Aria was staring him down. Aria’s gaze practically told him there were no qualms between them, or she spit fire his way. She was mad._

_Aria told him, flat out, “Why didn’t you go to Hogwarts? *They need you, Frodo. They need you right now.”_

_Then everything went blank. He was lost in darkness. The dream shifted abruptly to Bag End. Frodo approached Bilbo, but Bilbo was caught up in his paperwork. As Frodo did his best to get his uncle’s attention, Bilbo hardly noticed him until…_

_“Frodo, whatever are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at your parents’ funeral?” asked Bilbo._

_“The what?” asked Frodo, stunned and in disbelief. His parents were… gone?_

_“Yes. Now you go get ready. You should be there. You’re late,” said Bilbo, pushing him towards the door._

_The dream shifted to the White Downs. Frodo ran towards his family, but they walked away from him. Some family members pushed him, including Berilac Brandybuck, who wasn’t very friendly to him. Frodo glared at his cousin. Naturally, Berilac was a good lad, but awful stubborn, which Frodo guessed came from the lad’s family. Wait a second… he had a cousin named Berilac? When?_

_As the crowd parted, Frodo saw Aria standing before two white tombstones. She turned and looked at him, a sad look across her face. Aria said between sobs, “Why did you forget them?”_

_“What?” asked Frodo, approaching the tombstones. To his horror, his parents’ names were on the two tombstones, but they were separate. But what – why were his parents’ names on grave markers? This was too shocking for words. Turning to Aria, Frodo asked her, stuttering a bit on his words, “W-Why?”_

_“Hogwarts needs you, Frodo,” was all Aria would say._

_“W-What?” asked Frodo, completely bewildered._

_The dream shifted to an omniscient view of the Hogwarts Express. Frodo was flying through the air. He could see Hogwarts castle in view. The dream shifted again to the inside of the castle, on the first floor corridor. He wasn’t flying anymore, but walking briskly down the corridor. Frodo passed by several students. That’s when he spotted Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George. Where were his hobbit friends? What were their names? Sam… Merry… Pippin and… and… Fredegar? Fatty! Where was Fatty?_

_“We couldn’t save him the pleasure,” said Ron, annoyed at someone. “He was too good for us.”_

_“Frodo should have never left Hogwarts,” said Hermione, shaking her head._

_“He was the best prankster we had,” said George._

_“Now he’s gone,” said Harry._

_“Good riddance,” said Ron. “We were better without him.”_

_Frodo could feel tears streaming down his face. This was not how he pictured things to be. So they were talking about him. Was he really that bad? He knew he had been hard on everyone at Hogwarts. Why wasn’t he waking up?_

_Wrong question. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George gave him scornful looks. Soon, every student in the hallway, including Draco Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and even Lotho Sackville-Baggins were staring at him. Frodo’s gaze fell on Lotho, but he couldn’t break out of the gaze._

_“Wake me up. Wake me up! Wake me up!” Frodo repeated the mantra as Lotho advanced on him. Frodo was forced against the wall. “Wake me up!”_

_“Let me pummel him!” spat Lotho, vengeance in his eyes._

_“WAKE ME UP!” screamed Frodo. He closed his eyes before anything terrible happened. Just like that, everyone returned to their conversations… so weird…_

“Frodo?”

Frodo could hear a faint familiar feminine voice. He was slipping out of the tendrils of the nightmarish dream and returning to his waking state. His body felt heavy. Had he slept in? What had he missed? Were his parents… no, they’re weren’t. They couldn’t be. No!

“Frodo!” yelled a feminine voice. It was little high-pitched and was hurting his ears.

Frodo felt his forehead, yet he didn’t want to open his eyes. It was better to just lie in his bed, sleep off the dream. His parents, Aria, his whole life was just…

“Frodo, you lazy… wake up!” cried Aria’s voice. Now he really could tell the voice belonged to Aria.

Frodo opened them now. He grinned at her, doing his best not to show his nightmare. “Where have you been?” His cheekiness still showed.

“Come on. What did you dream?” asked Aria, stubbornness crossing her eyes and face.

The cheeky smile melted away from his own face. Frodo was not in the mood to discuss his dream. “My parents’ died… what happened to them?” He was about to rush out of bed.

Aria stopped him. “Relax. Your parents are alive and well.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I thought they were…”

“What did you dream?” repeated Aria. She was curious about his dream. Bravely, she sat down on his bed, right next to him. Frodo felt terribly uncomfortable, yet in a way it was soothing to have her presence beside him. “Can’t you talk about it, or are you too afraid?”

“I just woke up,” said Frodo.

“I know. But it’s better to talk about these things,” admitted Aria, “especially when the dream is still fresh.”

Frodo hardly knew where to begin. The dream unraveled itself as he spoke, his voice trembling as he tried to remember, “First, I was here, in this house. My parents spoke about me, like they were ignorant of my presence. They said ‘Hogwarts needs me’, ‘Hogwarts needs me’, and then you showed up. I forget what you said, but you were glaring at me. Then the dream changed to Bilbo, my uncle, and he said I was late for a funeral. I arrived at the funeral just as every hobbit in my family walked away. There you were and there were… were…”

“Spit it out!” barked Aria, doing her best to get him to admit what was on his mind.

Frodo burst, softly, “…I saw my parents’ graves, but they were separate. You told me ‘Hogwarts needs me’. I was asking what I had done wrong.” He cracked a joyful smile. “Then I was flying above the Hogwarts Express and seeing the castle from that view. At last I came inside the castle, and there were Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George. They were talking about me, wondering what I had done wrong. As soon as I wanted to wake up, everyone stared at me and that’s when Lotho wanted to pummel me. I closed my eyes, everyone strangely returned to their business and I retreated into sleep.” He added for good measure, “Then I hear your voice telling me to wake up, and so I did.”

Aria glared at him.

Frodo was sheepish. “That’s the same glare you had in the dream.”

Only Aria told him, calmly, “Frodo, maybe this dream’s telling you to return to Hogwarts, confront your parents and apologize, and treat everyone at Hogwarts with respect in the future. What other choice have you got?”

Frodo stared at his bed covers. The dream was very clear he had been acting like a jerk, and everyone knew it. He could pick that up, at least. Maybe it was his turn to be the polite one, even though he wanted to pull pranks and still behave like a troublemaker. But he did need his friends and he made new ones at Hogwarts, after all. It was time to act like a decent hobbit boy and enjoy Hogwarts while it lasted. It was his second home. He might as well make use of it.

He peered up at Aria. She really did look beautiful. How did Hogwarts ever acquire a Muggle that was this beautiful… well, this was his opinion. He blushed, doing his best not to show his feelings. However, Aria must have noticed because she was blushing and looking uncomfortable, as if she had been unhinged and didn’t know what to do. She was also a bit wound up, something that Frodo picked up the moment he met her and she was still doing it. What exactly was this girl terrified of?

“Frodo,” said Aria, getting his attention back. She was concerned now.

Snapping out of his reverie – he hadn’t known where he got those strange thoughts, yet they were… soothing – Frodo admitted to her, “Maybe I should go apologize to my parents. Where are they?”

“They’re not up yet. I couldn’t sleep after that dream I had. I saw you at your parents’ tombstones, looking terrified. But when I heard…”

“You had the same dream?” asked Frodo, seriousness clearly in his voice.

“Yeah. I’ve had dreams with you for months now. Frodo, what does it mean?” asked Aria, concerned.

Frodo, not answering her question and leaving her hanging, got out of bed and headed to his bathroom. He was followed fast by Aria. Before she harangued him further, Frodo told her – oh, how he hated these adult moments, “Go and sit on that bench until I’ve come out.” Calmly, he admitted, “Hey, I’ll be out soon.” Then he closed the door fast.

Following Frodo’s only instruction, Aria found the bench he pointed at. However, she needed to go to bathroom, too, and rushed in fast to the bathroom she used. She didn’t like disobeying orders. It didn’t feel right. Minutes later, when Aria finally came out of the bathroom, she saw Frodo sitting on the bench, not wanting to go back to bed and sleep in for a bit. He was tired, that much was obvious from his sleepy eyes. He said nothing about it, something that made Aria worry over him. She didn’t need to think on it, just that she wanted to see what was wrong with him, why he wouldn’t go back to bed. Then she remembered the dream he had and knew this was the reason he was up.

Deciding to get his attention, Aria said softly to him, “Hi.”

Frodo patted the bench. Aria obeyed without taking further instruction. They were awful close, yet Aria said nothing, even though it was written on her face. She quietly moved a few inches off to the side, alerting Frodo.

“What?” Frodo asked, causing alarm to show on Aria’s face. He told her, calmly, knowing he needed to be calm and collected with this girl. “It’s okay. You can sit closer, if you want.” He paused. She still didn’t know what to do. He intervened. “Come on. I won’t bite.”

Knowing she would regret this moment, Aria moved back a few inches until she sat right next to him. Her mind was almost completely frozen and yet she could still think. Frodo wrapped an arm around her, settling his hand on her waist. They were a little too close and Aria’s heart was thumping, as if it could fly out of her chest. Was her heart supposed to react this way? She hardly knew and yet she gave a sheepish smile to Frodo.

Frodo smiled back, not sure himself what to do about this situation. He was still too young to even know why his parents acted the way they did towards each other. Still, he wanted to get to the bottom of this ‘shared’ dreaming. “So, what can you tell me about us sharing dreams?” It was a wrong question. This girl knew nothing about shared dreaming, at least not at this time. He tried another question. “What kinds of dreams have you had with me? What have been your most recent dreams?”

“There’s too many to count,” said Aria, sheepish. At least she was telling him the truth.

“Try me,” said Frodo, daring her to admit the dreams she had.

Then Aria rambled rather quickly about her dreams. Frodo did his best to calm her and help her go slower in telling him about her dreams. He listened intently, feeling some connection to Aria. So they were doing shared dreaming and he hadn’t known it. Well, he hadn’t known until a few months ago, when he started dreaming about a brown-haired girl. Had he dreamed of Aria? He felt like he remembered her first name, but where did he recall that?

Frodo and Aria stopped talking – well, Frodo listening and Aria doing most of the talking – when Primula went into the kitchen. Figuring it was time to leave their conversation there, Frodo helped Aria find her way into the dining room. She still was behaving like she was lost, yet Frodo was willing to help her out. It was a start, at least. Frodo knew he would have to prove his worth if he was ever to get back to Hogwarts and to make sure his parents were all right.

When Drogo at last came out to the dining room, he sat down at the end chair. Aria and Frodo were already eating their breakfast, but to Drogo’s surprise Frodo was sitting next to Aria. He said nothing, but gave his son a quizzical stare. Frodo caught Drogo’s gaze and smiled cheekily at him. Frodo picked up his teacup shortly afterwards and drank his tea.

o-o-o

Before noon, as Aria helped Primula in the kitchen with their luncheon food, Frodo found his way into his father’s study. Drogo was definitely doing something with a piece of parchment paper. Frodo was a little curious and got his father’s attention:

“Dad?” asked Frodo. He picked up the word from Ron, for obvious reasons.

Drogo glanced at him, “Son.”

“What are you doing?” asked Frodo.

Drogo set his parchment down on the writing desk. “I was writing a letter to Dumbledore. It’s nothing special.” Setting his quill in the ink bottle, Drogo moved his chair so he could see Frodo. He asked his son, “What is it, Frodo?”

Frodo paused. He said his peace then and there. “I know mum and you want me to go back to Hogwarts.”

“Now before you protest, I want to tell you that you should consider…”

“You were right,” announced Frodo.

Drogo was in disbelief. “What was that?”

“You were right,” repeated Frodo. “You and mum… you two are right. I should return to Hogwarts.”

Drogo was impressed. His son finally came around. “You know we are right, Frodo. Your mother and I want what’s best for you.”

“So I can go back?” asked Frodo, needing a confirmation.

“Yes,” said Drogo. Frodo’s face lit up with joy. Drogo nearly stammered that joy with, “As long as you don’t get into too much trouble.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be good this time, better even,” said Frodo, leaving his father’s study to tell Aria the good news.

Drogo shook his head. Chuckling to himself, Drogo pulled out his quill, brushed the dripping ink on the side of the glass bottle and continued his letter. Good thing his son didn’t ask what he was up to. Drogo did not want to answer questions that would require Frodo meddling into things he shouldn’t be meddling in.

But Frodo had paid attention and was curious as to what his father was writing, addressed to Dumbledore. Maybe it was something to do with whatever was down in the Forbidden Corridor. Maybe… he hardly knew as he returned to the kitchen. Aria was also filled with joy when Frodo told her what his father said to him. This was going to be a good day, or so Frodo hoped would happen during the holidays. It was still the holidays and what better reason to enjoy it than with family and friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Footnotes:
> 
> *Hera Syndulla from “Star Wars: Rebels” says this line to Ezra also, except the original end of her dialogue was “They need you, Ezra. They need you right now.” For some reason, this dialogue ended up stuck in my head as I wrote the dream. I don’t know why, but it did.


	27. Christmas Presents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While it is true that a lot of my self-insert is the younger me, back then I hardly had anyone to really confide in. When I met DoctorWhovian18 and finally told her everything I needed to say, the story I have is quite amusing now that I think on it. I honestly wish I could have told Frodo about it back then and gotten the whole thing over with, but now we get to see it. This might also change a couple of things for my self-insert, but then this is an alternate look at things and how they could have turned out in my life. :) Also, since it was later on that I tried tea the first time, instead of my younger self, this one also alternates from my life a bit. Also, I’d like to thank DoctorWhovian18 and the hobbits for their ideas for Christmas gifts. :)

Later that evening, Frodo found Aria in the dining room, writing in the same blue hardbound book she carried the first time they met. Frodo already guessed she was writing about him, and the event that occurred that morning. It must have been a very good memory, as Aria was writing furiously on the page with the hawk’s feather quill.

Frodo asked Aria, as polite as he could, “Mind if I sit here?”

Aria glanced up at him and said, also polite, “Go right ahead. It’s been a good idea, even though I didn’t get any presents today. I guess that’s all right.” She jotted down some more words.

“You celebrate Christmas?” asked Frodo, curious about the holiday.

“Well… in my family, I celebrate on both days: Christmas Eve and Day. But that didn’t happen this year,” said Aria.

“So, I’m guessing you have a gift for me tomorrow,” said Frodo, a bit curious on this matter.

Aria stopped writing. True, she did snap out of her traditional receiving gifts. Giving gifts was still new to her. Of course she wasn’t sure what to get Frodo, since the possibility arose. Looking at him, not wanting to disappoint him, Aria asked, “What would you like to have?”

“Nothing too big from you,” said Frodo.

“Try me,” said Aria, returning the sentence rather chidingly.

Frodo was stunned. Could Aria really give him anything he wanted? Maybe it was wise to start out small, “Well, maybe a new broomstick. Since I’m the new Seeker on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, a new broomstick would be nice.”

“Okay,” said Aria, grinning from ear to ear.

Frodo caught the grin fast. “What? Why are you smiling? What is it?”

“No, I shouldn’t,” said Aria, still grinning and not able to control it.

Frodo chuckled. “Come on. If you have a present for me, you should spit it out. What exactly is in that trunk of yours?” He was right to be suspicious.

At that, Aria stood up, telling Frodo fast, “I’ll be right back and don’t touch anything.” She ran off into the hallway, disappearing for a few moments.

However, Frodo’s curiosity got the better of him. Now he could see what Aria had been so secretive with the book in his name. They weren’t long notes, but they were accurate to the events that were transpiring. He set the book back in its place on the table, leaving it open to the page Aria was on, as Aria returned with a wrapped broomstick with an enclosed envelope attached.

Before she sat down, Aria asked Frodo, suspicious, “You weren’t diving into that book, were you?”

Frodo shrugged. “I couldn’t help myself.”

“You’re a terrible liar too, Frodo,” said Aria, admitting to her own ability to not tell a lie. She set the wrapped broomstick down in front of him.

“As if you’re not hiding something,” said Frodo, catching on fast to Aria’s own secretive behavior. “You are hiding something, aren’t you?”

“Later,” said Aria, not ready to admit the truth yet. Changing the subject, Aria informed Frodo, “Open it.”

Frodo was about to start unwrapping, but stopped and decided something else. “I think I’ll wait until morning. I know you want to, and I know it’s tradition for you, but it’s probably better to wait until morning, when everyone’s up and before everyone does their work.”

Aria was a little sad by this news. At the same time she was furious. Well, she wasn’t getting her way now, and yet she didn’t want to disappoint Frodo. “All right. Sure. That’s fine.”

“Are you all right?” asked Frodo.

Aria looked down at her copy. She nodded silently.

Frodo, stunned, told her, “You know you can tell me anything.” He leaned over and whispered to her, “I trust you.”

At that, Aria looked up and told Frodo, doing her best to stay calm, but nervous. She wanted to tell him the truth, but she didn’t know how. But at least now she could be more herself. “Six years ago, I bought this… toy, this beanie baby named Snip. Now Snip is a Siamese cat and I did voice-overs for her as any one of us kids would do. Well, before I got to Hogwarts, I agreed – well, she did actually, one of the cats did – that I should try speaking by thought to them. And now my life is being controlled by her, like I don’t have my own voice in my head again. There, I said everything.” Finally, after months of having that stuck and no one to tell it to, it was as if her mind was unblocked and freed up, like she broken something too. Maybe that was good, but she didn’t know.

As for Frodo, his first reaction was understanding, then confusion and by the last sentence, he burst out in laughter. Aria was alarmed and distressed. She didn’t know why he was laughing at her. This didn’t feel right. She thought she could trust him. But did he believe her?

Calming down and seeing the distressed look on Aria’s face, Frodo admitted, “I believe you, Aria. But that is the funniest story I have ever heard. You know, I think that voice inside your head is you voicing her. The mind can play tricks, Aria, if you’re not careful.”

Aria sighed in relief. Finally, someone understood her situation. “So maybe I should just stop and let my mind clear up.”

“That would be good, but that is really funny.” Frodo quoted Aria rather jokingly, “‘My life is being controlled by an annoying, talking cat named Snip in my head’.” He burst into laughter again.

At that, Aria couldn’t help bursting into laughter. Finally, she could be herself again and put it behind her. For once, life felt good again.

The two stopped upon hearing Drogo’s voice, “Keep it down out there!”

Frodo and Aria stopped laughing and looked at one another. Aria let out a few giggles here and there, still reminiscing over the relief. Her mind never felt so free again until that moment.

o-o-o

The following morning, Frodo rushed into the guest room Aria was in and woke her up. She gave him a crabby look, rolling over in an effort to go back to sleep. Frodo, too eager and instead of rolling Aria back over, as that would have been rude, he reminded her in a soft whisper:

“It’s Christmas morning,” said Frodo.

At that, Aria bolted out of bed. Frodo chuckled happily, reminding her, “My mum’s out in the kitchen, making breakfast. She told me to get you out of bed, so we could eat.”

“Okay, but let me go to the bathroom first,” said Aria, rushing out of the bedroom and into the bathroom, double time. She closed the door fast so she could have her privacy.

Frodo waited until Aria was done before the two entered the dining room. Drogo was already sitting at the dining room table, sipping his tea and eating his breakfast. Once again, Frodo and Aria sat next to each other. Drogo wondered about this pattern and why his son was sitting by a girl this soon. He looked up at Primula, but Primula shushed him quietly as she placed another dish out on the table. Frodo and Aria filled up their plates with toast and scrambled eggs. Aria was still a bit iffy on having tea, but instead went for the berry juice.

Hoping to correct Aria’s rather rude manners, Frodo whispered to her, “You know, we drink tea here.”

She whispered back, “I’ve never drank tea.”

Frodo chuckled, whispering right back, “What? Then you don’t know what you’re missing.” He spoke to his mother aloud, for all to hear and surprising Aria, even though she was behaving shyly, “Mum, how about giving Aria some tea? She hasn’t tried it before.”

Primula agreed, passing to Aria a clean teacup. “You don’t know what you’re missing, dear.” She poured some tea into her cup.

Aria was nervous about trying new things. Then again, she didn’t want to disappoint Frodo or his mother. Carefully raising the teacup to her lips, Aria tried the tea. It was hot! It was burning her tongue! Then the flavor came, and she found it was a little bitter but also sweet. She didn’t really like tea that well, but it did taste good. Maybe she could grow into it. She downed it in no time.

Frodo was impressed. “So you like it?”

Aria shrugged. “I’ll adjust, but it is good.” She set down her empty teacup, as Primula poured more tea into it. She asked Frodo’s mother, “What’s in that?”

“Herbs and a special mixture of mine,” said Primula. “I also added a few lemons to the tea as well.”

“I thought I tasted lemon. It helps with the flavor,” said Aria, admitting freely.

“So, you’re a food expert?” asked Frodo.

“Not really, but I do enjoy food and drinks. But I am a picky eater,” admitted Aria.

Frodo told her, grinning her way, “Well there, you tried something new.”

Aria nodded, a little too eager. She delved into the food she had, enjoying it but not really savoring it that much.

After breakfast, Drogo and Primula told Frodo to head out into the parlor, Aria too. The two rushed into the parlor, only to discover several presents waiting for them, along with a special guest with grey curly hair on his head and the tops of his feet. Frodo was ecstatic when he saw his uncle, actually his cousin, Bilbo Baggins, stand up and hold out his arms. Frodo ran up to him so fast that he nearly made Bilbo trip over the chair. Aria was not surprised by this reaction. She knew, after doing all her research, that Frodo actually did like exploring new lands. She wondered what Frodo was really thinking when he received his acceptance letter to Hogwarts.

When Bilbo and Frodo released, Bilbo spoke to his nephew, “My, my Frodo, how you’ve grown! Last I saw you, you were two inches shorter than me and now you’re a wee bit taller. The letter you sent me was most distressing. Did you not like Hogwarts?”

“Sorry about that, uncle. I was distressed because I was leaving Hogwarts for the holidays. Really, when I got the acceptance letter, my mind went ballistic. I was doing what you did when you set out on your adventures, so that made me excited,” said Frodo, sounding more chipper than ever. “I did make friends while at Hogwarts, but I’ve also made a mess of things there. I felt so lonely for a while, being in a new place.” He turned to Aria and introduced her to Bilbo, “Uncle Bilbo, this is Aria Breuer. She’s the one that’s writing my book.”

“You mean those books where the information is given to you by an unknown author,” said Bilbo, not surprised by the news.

Frodo was stunned. “What do you know of it?”

“Well, the authoress I had was female, she was a hobbit Muggle without magic, and very attractive. Our only ties were that she was interested in studying books filled with magic and elvish wonders, but sadly that’s as far as we got. That was seventy-eight years ago and I was about your age when I met my authoress,” said Bilbo, retelling his tales at Hogwarts.

“You were at Hogwarts, too, Bilbo sir?” asked Aria, being polite.

“Why, yes I was, way before the First Wizarding War,” said Bilbo. The moment he saw Drogo and Primula enter the parlor, Bilbo greeted them. “Drogo, you’re looking spiffy. How much food have you had recently?”

Drogo chuckled. “It’s good to see you, too, cousin.”

Bilbo approached Primula and kissed her hand. “Primula, my dear, you’re looking as lovely as ever. I see you’ve raised Frodo well.”

Primula blushed. “Why thank you, Bilbo.” She turned to Frodo and Aria, informing them, “Now before we open presents, make sure everyone is seated. Frodo, since Aria and Bilbo are our guests, you can be the gift giver.”

“First time celebrating Christmas?” asked Bilbo to Frodo’s parents.

“We wanted to wait until Frodo actually arrived at Hogwarts before celebrating both holiday traditions. Besides, these presents arrived this morning, most of them. Primula and I are saving Frodo’s Shire presents until Yule. We’ll come to visit you then, I’m sure,” said Drogo, explaining his and his wife’s plans.

“Ah yes, that sounds reasonable. I plan on making this the best Yule Frodo has ever had. Now that he has brought a guest with him from Hogwarts, it will be even better,” said Bilbo, cheerful.

“You will take Frodo and Aria back to Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters,” said Primula, concern drawn in her eyes.

“Yes, that is my intention, Primula,” said Bilbo.

Primula sighed in relief. Good. Then Drogo and she wouldn’t have trouble bringing Frodo back home the long way. She nearly considered using the door’s bell, but thought against it as it would make other hobbits suspicious. Besides, getting to Hobbiton from Buckland took about two to three days’ travel to complete on foot, but not so by cart. It was only fair to Frodo and Aria that they stay with Bilbo until they needed to return to Hogwarts.

Aria, in the meantime, blushed at Bilbo’s earlier words – she blushed out of respect actually, as Frodo passed to her his gift. At the same time, Aria gave him the broomstick she wanted to give to him the other night. What surprised Aria was Frodo’s parents also had a broomstick wrapped up. Had they gotten the same broomstick? Aria was certain she had gotten Frodo a nice broomstick. Once everyone had their gifts, Frodo returned to his chair. The gift unwrapping began almost immediately. And the gifts proved to be quite splendid:

Frodo first unwrapped the broomstick his parents gave him. As soon as he unwrapped it, he was stunned. It was a racing broomstick and fairly new. Peering at the end, Frodo was delighted to find it was a Nimbus 2000, made from mahogany wood. Aria stared at the broomstick in agony. She hadn’t given Frodo a broom that decent. After thanking his parents, Frodo unwrapped the broomstick Aria gave him. When he did, he found it was a weather-beaten broomstick, probably second-hand.

Aria explained, sheepishly, “I didn’t have a lot of money and the wizard at the Quidditch supply store gave me a cheap broomstick. It was the only way I could think of getting you a broomstick. I’m not sure it flies, but… I’m not rich, not like you.”

Frodo gazed at her with a small degree of affection. “I like it. Even if it isn’t flyable, I’ll still keep this broomstick as a keepsake, a reminder that you thought of me.” He grinned at her.

Aria was still sheepish towards him, feeling like she hadn’t given him a proper gift. She only had thought of him and didn’t really think of anyone else. She felt so small, and her presents were just as small.

Setting both broomsticks down, being gentle with the broomstick Aria gave him, Frodo opened Aria’s card next to find that it was handwritten by her. She made this card herself and the care that went into it showed as Frodo examined it. He was touched, truly he was. Thanking Aria for the card, Frodo moved onto the next present, which turned out to be a book on Sindarin words and their translations from Bilbo. Frodo was pleased. He was curious about Elves, and this book would certainly help him out. The book had turquoise leather binding with gold lettering on the front. He appreciated this gift and would thank Bilbo soon enough with his own gift.

Next Frodo opened a present from Mrs. Weasley – Fred, George and Ron’s mother – which turned out to be a sapphire blue knit jumper with a gold F letter on the front. The jumper was small, but it was just his size. He was amazed, but also wondering if magic was responsible for getting his size just right.

From Fred and George, Frodo found there to be a box filled with liquorice wands. From Harry, Frodo received some owl treats for Prim, his brown owl. Frodo also received some wizard sweets from Ron, including a box filled with Bertie Botts’ Beans. To no surprise, Frodo received a book from Hermione, only to his greater surprise the book had his name on it, with blue hardbound leather. It was the book he had been curious about and now he had his own copy! He would need to thank Hermione for this. As for his last gift, Frodo found it came from Sam, Merry, Pippin and Fredegar, who wouldn’t be born yet in the Shire. They had pitched in and gave him a gift basket, filled with a collection of items. There was a garden starter kit from Sam, some prank items specially made by Pippin, a horse book and a boater’s guidebook from Merry, and a study guide from Fatty. Frodo was indeed blessed to have such good friends.

Peering over at Aria, Frodo found she had only received a few presents. Dumbledore had given Aria some lemon sweets, something which she despised at once. Those at the authors’ house that Aria told Frodo about pitched in and gave her a blank journal with kitten photos on the front and back covers. Since she hardly knew anyone at Hogwarts, and since she couldn’t go home, that was about everything she received. However, Aria waited until Frodo was watching her before opening her present from him: it turned out to be a new quill, from a dove’s feather, and a parchment set. Aria was especially fascinated with the quill and enlightened. She looked at Frodo fondly, feeling as though she had come across a good friend. Frodo gave her the same glance.

As for the rest of the family, Bilbo received a pocket Sneakoscope from Frodo. Bilbo was amazed and impressed with Frodo. Frodo’s gift to his mother turned out to be the book _A History of Magic_ , since Primula had been meaning to get a copy, only she never got around to it. As for Drogo, Frodo had given him a box of cauldron cakes, which made Drogo laugh merrily in delight.

In all, it was a merry Christmas. But the day had only begun.

When Frodo finished packing his trunk, same as Aria, they followed Bilbo outside the hobbit house, where they followed him to a cart. Frodo embraced his mother and father, before waving to them as he strode over to the driver’s seat of the cart. His parents waved back, his mother in tears. As soon as everyone was seated in the cart, Bilbo drove out to the Brandywine Bridge. Aria, due to the circumstances, had to sit in the back with hers and Frodo’s trunks, as well as Bilbo’s Christmas presents. She wasn’t particularly pleased with being in the back of the cart, but then she knew there was nothing she could do about it, except sit silently, doing her best to hold on as the cart rolled over the bridge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About the Christmas gifts, some were DoctorWhovian’s idea and Samwise’s idea, but the rest of the gifts are my ideas. So, in all, it’s a combination of ideas.


	28. Admittance and Awkwardness

The journey from Buckland to Hobbiton took much of the morning and well into the afternoon to complete by carriage. Bilbo did stop the carriage until they reached the village of Frogmorton; so that way he, Frodo and Aria could grab some lunch. Frodo found Aria to be a bit closed off, more so than when they first met. In Aria's mind, she couldn't believe all the happiness was real. It felt like a distant dream to her. She jolted out of her reverie when Frodo nudged her shoulder. Aria did her best to grin, but found she was unable to.

Frodo asked her then and there, "Aria, if there is anything on your mind, anything at all, you can tell me. I'm a good listener."

"This doesn't feel real," admitted Aria, rather snarky.

Frodo was astonished. "What? Why would you say that? Of course this is real."

"No, it's not that. All this happiness. I'm more used to everyone ignoring me, acting as though they want to… no, it must have been inside my head," said Aria, feeling glum.

"What's wrong?" asked Frodo, concerned.

Aria felt as though she could talk to Frodo. Maybe he would listen to her. "The truth is I've been so… I thought everyone was ignoring me, treating me like an outsider. I mean, it's how I've been treating people…" She stopped herself. Was that really what she had been doing? She thought it was the other way around. She admitted, feeling like an ignorant, selfish git. "I've been so blind."

"Well, I know the rules are different in Middle-earth, compared to your world. Maybe you should give this a chance. Do you love your family?" asked Frodo, curious.

Aria gazed at him now. She had been so horrid to everyone that it was unfair to them, to even herself. She needed to be more considerate of others. She just knew she had to be. It was what was fair to them and to her. Maybe she should stop talking about herself. Faintly, she admitted, "I… do love them, my family. They only want to do what is right for me. Maybe I've been too spoiled, expecting too much of others."

"At least you can admit it. Most people wouldn't find the courage like you have," said Frodo, smiling at her.

"Yeah," said Aria, smiling back.

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself either, Aria. You should enjoy life, love those who are kind to you, be yourself. Yes, we have a deity: Eru Ilúvatar, who I'm sure Bilbo can tell you more about," said Frodo.

"Why not you?" asked Aria, curious.

Frodo was beside himself. Should he inquire about Eru? This wasn't something he was used to discussing with anyone. "Eh…" He grinned sheepishly. Butterflies protruded his stomach. Why was he getting these impulses towards her? This didn't feel right, but then… all he could do was stare at her, mesmerized by her beauty. Wait… what story was he in?

Luckily for Frodo, Bilbo returned with some food. Frodo gave a quick glance at Aria as he passed to her his food, stopping the moment his fingers touched hers. The two children looked at each other with awkward glances. It was a moment they couldn't forget and yet at the same time it did feel right.

Bilbo interrupted their reverie. "Frodo my lad, don't let your sandwiches grow warm."

"Oh. Sorry uncle," said Frodo, glancing away at Aria.

Aria felt butterflies enter her heart. It was soft, but even this moment meant something. Maybe she would enjoy happiness after all this time. It could become real, the happiness and hope. She didn't need to be so afraid of it any longer.

o-o-o

After lunch, Bilbo drove the cart onwards to Hobbiton. Only this time, both Bilbo and Frodo allowed Aria to sit in the driver's seat with them. Aria proved to be skinnier than they thought, which made Frodo feel relieved as they could now fit three to the driver's seat instead of there being just two, but maybe this was what he was thought the whole time. To make sure Aria didn't fall off the edge, Frodo allowed her to sit in-between him and Bilbo. That way, Aria felt safe and they wouldn't have to worry about her so much. Once again, Aria felt privileged, but she began wondering why this was always expected with her. Maybe she would ask, but then… maybe it was better to leave well enough alone.

At last, they made it to Hobbiton and were on their way up to Bag End. Aria was once again amazed at the sights of the Shire. Of course, that didn't exclude her from being pointed at and given quizzical expressions from various hobbits. Frodo gladly defended Aria, mostly by telling those at Hobbiton that it was a new look for hobbits. However, this led to much disdain from several passing hobbits.

It was mid-afternoon when Bilbo stopped the cart at Bag End. He instructed Frodo to help unload his and Aria's trunks. Frodo did as requested, while Bilbo took the cart back to the stables. After Bilbo drove the cart down the Hill, Frodo led Aria up the stone steps and inside Bag End. Aria was right away amazed at the sight of Bag End; it had been her dream to visit the hobbit-hole and now she had her chance.

Setting her trunk down, Aria zoomed through Bag End to get a good look at everything. Frodo chuckled in amusement at how fast Aria sped off. He never seen someone more intrigued by a hobbit house in all his life… well that was until he met Aria. Deciding to take advantage of Aria's flighty excitement, Frodo took his trunk to the room Bilbo allowed him to use, as well as taking Aria's trunk into the guest room next to his. He did not know why, but somehow Frodo wanted to keep an eye on Aria, as she looked the sort to get lost easily. In fact… where was Aria?

Concern coursed through his veins as Frodo searched the whole of Bag End for Aria. He didn't have to look for long, as he found Aria in the cellar. But what was she doing next to Bilbo's wine. Quickly, Frodo dragged Aria out of the cellar, away from the wine bottles. Aria was beside herself and confused.

"I just wanted to look! Why can't I look, Frodo?" asked Aria. She had such innocence to her that Frodo was nearly afraid to tarnish.

Frodo would have to choose his words carefully and be considerate towards her. He feared Aria was like a flighty fawn, ready to spring if anything bad was said. Frodo looked her in the eyes and said, "Wait until you're older. For now, we're not supposed to touch Bilbo's wine."

"Why not?" asked Aria, confused and curious.

Frodo sighed. As soon as they were out of the cellar, Frodo tried again, "Because the wine has alcohol in it and alcohol is what adults drink. Since we're not adults, we're not ready to drink wine or ale or even beer. It's just something us kids can't have. Now you understand?"

Aria nodded. She was a little hurt, but understood immediately. "Don't touch the wine or the ale or the beer. I got it."

Boy, she caught on fast. Frodo told her, with a grin, "So, getting off the subject of wine, would you like to see where your room is?"

"Sure," said Aria, following Frodo into the guest room. Bag End was so huge. She knew she would get lost again if Frodo wasn't there to find her first.

As soon as they were in Aria's room, Frodo inquired, "So what brought you to Hogwarts in the first place?"

Aria looked at Frodo with renewed eyes. "I guess I like the castle, the fact that it's a school and I wanted to meet Harry Potter and you."

"You'll get your chance to meet Harry. I'm sure of it," said Frodo.

"I don't know what I'd say to him. Just like I didn't know what to say to you the first time we met," said Aria. "Of course, I mean we've talked and all and… I'm rambling again."

Frodo grinned. "It's all right. We all ramble. You've done nothing wrong."

Aria went silent. She felt as though she had done something terrible. She looked away, turning her gaze to the floorboards and the rug.

Frodo noticed at once, "You're shy, aren't you?"

"You're not," said Aria.

Frodo chuckled sheepishly, "Actually, I am. I've just done my best not to show it. Of course…" his voice faltered then and there, proving he was in the right about his shyness.

Seeing Frodo's hands were resting on the bed frame, Aria did the only thing she wanted to do, just to prove he was real: place a hand over Frodo's hand. Frodo's eyes widened at this, glancing at Aria with a stunned gaze. Very quickly, Frodo tore his hands away from the bed frame, moving to the doorway. Aria felt guilty now. Maybe she was responsible for a lot of things.

"I'm sorry," said Aria, doing her best to apologize, hoping that it would resolve the situation. "I shouldn't have…"

"No, it's not your fault," said Frodo, still not looking at her. He couldn't believe what had happened. His heart nearly skipped a beat. Turning to Aria then, Frodo said hesitantly, "I should… leave. I should…" He darted off into his room and closed the door fast. Unknown to him, Aria was giggling, feeling butterflies reach her stomach and heart.

Frodo was in shock. Why was this happening to him? What were these new feelings he was experiencing? They didn't feel right… oh, they did, but they were strange to him. Aria was so pretty, so… no, he needed to think this through. He needed to get over these emotions… no, he would regret these feelings at once. As he paced about the room, an uncontrollable grin swept across his face. He couldn't help it, but then he didn't want to stop grinning. Something was happening to him. He was only twelve years old.


	29. Yuledays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m skipping ahead in time. I know, this story is slower, but this is where the story wanted to go. So, we’re heading for Yule now. Okay, LOTCR’s idea for Frodo doing something with his parents during the Christmas holidays sort of came up in this chapter. While it’s not the same idea, it’s still presentable.

Yule came faster than Frodo foresaw. Yes, Frodo had the ability of foresight, mainly in his dreams, yet it was small, like a stream about to turn into a river. On the days before Yule, Bilbo enlightened Frodo and Aria with tales of his adventures. These always intrigued Frodo, as he longed to meet Elves, Dwarves and see the Lonely Mountain for himself. Frodo would even take Aria and his friends, if only Sam, Merry, Pippin and Fredegar weren’t born yet in the Shire. Maybe Aria was his best chance of getting an adventure. That choice likely seemed possible.

On the third day of Yule, Frodo walked out into Bag End’s garden. There he saw the Gaffer, or Hamfast Gamgee, working on tending the soil. Frodo always felt intimidated by Gaffer, yet he knew the Gaffer meant well. Frodo stopped upon hearing the Gaffer speak to him:

“Mr. Frodo, how goes your time at Bag End? I trust the family is doing well,” said Gaffer.

“Quite. My parents arrived not two days ago. They’re heading back to Buckland when Yule is finished,” said Frodo, cheerful.

“I see you’ve brought a lady friend. Must be that time is nearing. Did your father tell you about…”

Frodo interrupted, not wanting to delve into the subject, “Yes, quite a great deal of it already. Why do you ask?”

“No reason, other than I would be prepared and ready to start courting,” said Gaffer.

“I think I can handle myself fine. Thank you for asking,” said Frodo, feeling offended.

Gaffer told him, “There’s no need to raise your voice. You’re higher status than I am. You should have manners by now. Where is that, by the way?”

Frodo paused. Maybe he was speaking out of turn. “I am sorry. Good luck with your gardening.” He darted off back inside Bag End, closing the door softly after him.

Frodo’s parents and Bilbo were still asleep, as was Aria. He did not want to wake them, and yet he felt the need to get to the main events of Yule. He knew this would be another time for gift-giving and Frodo had his gifts all planned out. Usually, before the sun was up, Bilbo would be found in his study, writing his book. Today, it was more relaxation than anything. However Frodo was too excited and, instead of Aria, the first hobbit that came to mind, he wanted to wake up Bilbo.

Springing into Bilbo’s bedroom – now all the rooms in Bag End had king-sized hobbit beds, but that’s beside the point – Frodo leapt onto Bilbo’s bed and shook the elderly hobbit. Bilbo groaned and huffed for a time until he remembered what he had to do that day. Unlike Frodo, who was ready to start the day, Bilbo moved slowly out of bed and into the bathroom before Frodo could do anything else. Frodo felt like a five-year-old, as if his younger childhood self was coming out due to the holidays. Well, it was a time for merriment and feasting. Frodo couldn’t miss that for anything.

Bilbo told the lad after finishing up in the bathroom, “Frodo, my lad, why don’t you do your Uncle Bilbo a favor and wake the others?”

“Won’t they be mad at me? Aria likes her sleep,” admitted Frodo.

Bilbo whispered, “Don’t tell them it was from me, all right? You’re a good lad. I’m sure you’ll come up with something.”

Frodo was out of his wits. Bilbo was being mischievous? While he didn’t approve of lying, being mischievous was something Frodo was good at. His parents and Aria would perhaps think it was him forcing them to get up in the morning. Yes, Aria he could handle, but his parents were another story altogether. Still, making up his mind, Frodo snuck into the guest room his parents were using. Quietly, Frodo woke them up.

The truth slipped out on its own. “Bilbo wanted me to let you know it is time to get up.”

Primula, sleepy-eyed, told her husband, “Drogo wake up. Bilbo’s got something to show up.”

“Is it time for breakfast?” asked Drogo, groggy but alert just now.

As Primula got to a sitting position, she asked Frodo, “Frodo, where’s Aria?”

“She’s still asleep,” said Frodo.

“Darling, why don’t you wake her?” asked Primula.

Drogo, being mischievous himself at the moment, told Frodo, “And don’t tell her it was from us.”

“Oh Drogo,” said Primula, glaring at her husband.

“All right,” said Frodo, feeling more mischievous towards Aria at that moment.

Arriving at the door to the Aria’s room, Frodo pressed his hand on the door, making it go silent as he entered the room. The room was huge, but then they all were. Each bed had different covers and bed spreads, as well as various large potted plants, bookcases, dressers, the same wardrobe that Frodo used – and so it seemed Aria did too – in one corner, and to Frodo’s surprise a small writing desk was also found in the room. The writing desk, Frodo suspected, must have come from the Authors’ House. Frodo did not want to disturb her… wait, he was still mischievous and still a hobbit boy; scaring girls was what he craved.

Making sure to keep his feet silent, Frodo used his hand magic to make several dozen earthworms appear on Aria’s bed, even on top of her. The moment Aria woke up, she tried to scream but found she could not. It was all too much. Frodo laughed a little; that is, until he saw how unnerved Aria had become. Using his hand magic fast, Frodo made the earthworms disappear; only the earthworms didn’t disappear in Aria’s mind. Aria just lay in bed, frozen with fear and terrified to get out of bed. She finally managed to turn over on one side, not saying two words to Frodo.

Frodo tried to move, but found he could not. He didn’t think the prank was too terrible, and yet Aria was shivering in fear that the earthworms might return. Primula arrived and did her best to coax Aria to get out of bed. Much to Frodo’s greater concern, Aria wept in Primula’s arms. Gathering his courage, Frodo approached Aria and sat down on the bed, only to catch Aria’s venomous glare at him. As Frodo did his best to caress Aria’s arm, even though she was tried to jerk away from him, Primula also gave Frodo a glare as she made sure Aria wouldn’t squirm.

“Frodo, apologize to this sweet girl,” said Primula.

Frodo blurted, “I’m terribly sorry, Aria. I thought it was a harmless prank, but I can see how affected you were by it. I won’t do it again. I promise. Please don’t be mad at me. I want us to be friends. Please understand that you were about to sleep in.”

“You call that fair?” asked Aria. “You could have just come in here, nicely, instead of pulling that kind of prank on me.”

“I know. I hope you can forgive me,” said Frodo. He gave her a look that made Aria’s heart melt.

How could she treat Frodo so harshly? Aria nodded, telling him with kindness, “I forgive you. Please don’t pull certain pranks on me. I mean, I won’t stop you from pranking, but there are certain things that terrify me: spiders, snakes, worms.”

“Aria, we use worms for fishing,” said Primula.

“The fish can have them. I just don’t want to touch them,” said Aria.

Frodo held back a chuckle. “I understand. Can you fish?”

Aria nodded, growing excited. “Yes. I just don’t want to touch the worms.”

“I got that,” said Frodo, a little chipper now.

Primula ended her part in the conversation. Pulling away from Aria, Primula told the two children, “Well, if everything’s all right now, Frodo, Aria, meet us in the dining room for breakfast. Bilbo’s making it especially for us. I’ll help out later with lunch, tea, and dinner.”

As soon as Primula left, Aria admitted to Frodo, “I’m not used to six or seven meals a day. I usually eat three meals plus a snack.”

“What kind of a hobbit are you?” asked Frodo, teasing her.

Aria knew he was teasing.

o-o-o

Shortly after breakfast, the Yuletide continued with more gifts for Frodo and Aria, but also between Drogo, Primula and Bilbo. One of the gifts Frodo received from his parents was a book on how to create proper spells. Frodo was grateful for the gift and promised to use it wisely. Once again, Aria had few gifts, but they were spread out for the Yuledays, so she at least felt better about the occasion.

After the gift unwrapping, everyone went their separate ways. Bilbo, along with Primula prepared for luncheon, while Drogo puffed his pipe in the parlor. Frodo stared at all his gifts until his father told him to put them away, which Frodo nearly did. Then his father insisted that he and Frodo’s mother bring his gifts home with them. Frodo nodded in agreement, but decided to take at least one gift back with him to Hogwarts. This turned out to be the book on creating spells. True, Frodo was a beginner with spells; still, he knew this book would come in handy later.

As he encouraged Aria to come with him to his room, Frodo entered his bedroom and set the book in his trunk; it was the last of his gifts to be brought into his room. Aria waited until Frodo had something to say. Frodo started at once:

“I can do hand magic without saying two words,” said Frodo.

“Can you?” asked Aria, curious.

Frodo nodded. The second he flicked his hand, a blue ribbon tied itself onto the bottom of Aria’s hair and quite tight. Aria tried pulling off the ribbon, but found she could not. Frodo merely chuckled in delight. He didn’t normally do anything for girls, but this seemed the occasion to do something kind.

“Well, now you look decent,” said Frodo.

Aria blushed in embarrassment. The last thing she wanted was to be fussed with. “Thank… you, I guess.”

Frodo grinned; it was a shy grin, but it still sent its message. He asked Aria, “So, what do you like to do for fun?”

“Games, reading… yeah,” said Aria, hesitant.

“Sounds like your to-do list,” said Frodo.

“I don’t treat it that way, no,” said Aria, shaking her head.

Frodo grinned. “Aria, I know what a to-do list is.” He repeated, “What do you like to do for fun?”

Aria paused for a long while. This wasn’t the sort of question she was used to being asked, and it stumped her. She didn’t have any response or excuse to back her up.

Frodo knew what they could do. “You want to take a walk with me?”

“Sure,” said Aria, feeling some relief.

“Great. Let’s go,” said Frodo, taking Aria’s hand. As they entered the Entrance Hall, Frodo called to his family, “Aria and I are going for a quick walk.”

Primula came out of the kitchen. “How far?”

“Just to see Gaffer,” said Frodo.

“All right,” said Primula. “I’ll let you know, or Bilbo will, when lunch is ready.”

“Don’t wander too far, kids,” said Drogo, almost in encouragement for Frodo to walk longer than he planned.

Frodo chuckled at that. “I will, Papa.” He opened the door and allowed Aria to leave Bag End first. In a few quick strides, Frodo closed the door behind him. He led Aria down the stone steps.

Passing the gate, once Frodo had closed it, he and Aria walked down the road. Their minds were filled with thoughts of how lunch would soon be coming their way.

That’s when Aria managed to keep them both off the subject: “I want to travel, see the sights and explore new things. I do that a lot in video games.”

“What’s that?” asked Frodo, intrigued.

Aria paused. She didn’t know how to answer. “I’m not sure if I can describe a video game. You’ll have to see it for yourself sometime.”

“I would like that very much. Thank you for asking,” said Frodo.

Aria gazed at Frodo now. Did she even ask him… maybe she did in the sentence? Whatever. “So what do you like to do for fun, besides the obvious pranking and getting into mischief?”

“Oh,” said Frodo, staring absentmindedly at his feet. He gave a quick, but cheerful answer, “Well, I love mushrooms and… I’ve been getting into Maggot’s farm to steal them.”

“ _Steal?_ ” asked Aria, a little too loud.

Frodo shushed her. Lowering his voice, Frodo inquired, “Yes, stealing mushrooms. It’s fun.”

“I don’t think stealing is fun,” said Aria, timidly.

“Only if you don’t get caught,” said Frodo, grinning mischievously.

Aria gave a quizzical brow. Perhaps she asked the wrong question.

Their thoughts were interrupted when Frodo spoke to Mrs. Gamgee, who asked their business. Frodo relayed to her, “Where’s Hamfast – the Gaffer?”

“He’s in the garden,” said Mrs. Gamgee.

“Thank you,” said Frodo. He told Aria, “Race you back to Bag End?”

“What? Frodo–” but Aria spoke too soon. She tried catching up to Frodo, but she was too slow. While Frodo made it to the gate, Aria felt like she was a sore loser. She was used to losing and was not a very good runner. Even after reaching the gate, Aria had to stop and rest, just as Frodo raced up the stone steps and straight into the garden.

Frodo asked Gaffer, “Still working? You know its Yule, right?”

“I’m only keeping the soil moist, but… I should stop. The harvest is done for this year and my business should be focused at home with my wife, rather than getting this blasted soil… I’m doing extra work!” complained Gaffer, standing upright. He spoke in a calmer voice, “But extra work is what makes a garden successful. What are you doin’?”

“I came to see you,” said Frodo.

“Yea? Well, I’m done for the day. I won’t have to work on the garden again until the end of Yule,” said Gaffer. “Tell Mr. Bilbo that his garden will be ready before spring.”

“But doesn’t the seeds need to be planted sometime during spring?” asked Frodo. He wasn’t used to asking these questions.

“Yes, but for a gardener, it has to be sometime at the start of March. I should speak to Mrs. Gamgee. Good luck with your Yule feasting,” said Gaffer, taking his gardener’s tools and heading down the hill.

Mrs. Gamgee promptly told him, “I told you that you didn’t need to work on the garden today. What drove you to it, Gaffer?”

“Well, as a matter of fact, I don’t rightly know,” said Gaffer, feeling stressed himself. He closed the door to his hobbit-hole after him.

Frodo spun around and, finding Aria sitting on the bench, joined her. He scooted in awful close to her, and said, “The Gaffer, I don’t know why, was busy this morning working in the garden. The harvest is past. I don’t see what he was doing there in the first place. He said he was tending the soil… whatever that means.” However, he got no response from Aria and almost dead silence, except for her breathing. Facing her, Frodo placed his hand over hers, making Aria and himself uncomfortable.

Frodo and Aria’s breathing turned heavy, leaving neither one knowing what to do. Frodo moved his hand off of Aria’s hand awful fast upon hearing his mother calling them about something. Whirling around to face her, Frodo asked, hoping to get a clearer response:

“What?”

“Come inside. Lunch is ready,” said Primula, from the open window.

“Okay!” called Frodo, returning his gaze to Aria. “Shall we?”

Aria nodded in quick procession. As Frodo stood up, so did Aria. The two children made their way to the front green door, which Frodo opened for Aria, but not before Frodo was nearly pulled inside by his father. After excusing themselves, Frodo gestured towards the Entrance Hall, giving Aria the hint to go in. Drogo closed the door after they were all inside Bag End.


	30. An Evening Celebration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate LOTCR bringing up her latest idea, and she’ll know which one, because it’s actually what I had in mind at one point, but now I can add it here. So now, we’ll get to see one more chapter during the two main days of Yule, which is the end of the year and the beginning of the new. So, here it is. And as for what I had planned with the fishing, that’s going to be moved to the next chapter.

In spite of the chilled weather outside Bag End, inside was filled with merriment. Afternoon turned to evening. It was only hours now before the beginning of the new year. Frodo knew this was a special time. He did not want to miss this end to the old year for anything. How special it would be would prove its worth later on in Frodo’s life, but for now, Frodo would enjoy this Yule more than ever.

Dinner was celebrated well with chatter. Aria finally gained enough courage to speak to Frodo, but she was still wary and shy. Frodo was reminded of Samwise Gamgee in many ways due to Aria’s shyness. They seemed so similar, and yet so did Frodo and Aria. Everyone was in a conversation at some point, but Aria felt more secluded and an outsider than anyone realized… well, almost everyone. Frodo was still keeping an eye on her, making sure she took part in some of the conversation. How they ended up being fast friends that Aria failed to understand. Hopefully, this friendship would stick, or so Aria thought.

Primula asked Aria, promptly, “Aria, tell us more about this Authors’ House. Have you been introduced to anyone? Any boys?”

“Primula, do we have to inquire about this?” asked Drogo.

“I was only asking,” said Primula. “She can always say ‘no’.”

Aria told her brief story, “This one boy, who I met only briefly, is staying at the Authors’ House. He’s rather a comedic fellow. One time he spent half the hour wondering why there were so many birds chirping. Next thing I know, he’s running around like a parrot, exciting everyone and behaving like a moron, saying things like ‘caw caw, caw caw’.” She heard some chuckles from the four hobbits. Aria let out a small chuckle herself. “Well, in truth, that first meeting was the only introduction I’ve had of him. No one’s really spoken to me much. I’m more of a loner around the Authors’ House, except when people need me. Otherwise, I’m left alone most of the time.” She dug into her chicken drumstick, moments into feeling a hand pressing on hers. She looked up to see Frodo gazing at her.

Frodo told her, concern in his eyes, “Well, you don’t have to be alone around me. I’ll keep an eye on you.”

“We’ll be at Hogwarts, so how much time do you think we’ll spend together? Really?” said Aria.

“I’m sure, lots,” said Frodo, feeling butterflies in his stomach. What was he doing? He was asking to spend loads of time with a girl? Okay, maybe Aria was all right for a girl. He didn’t need to worry about her. She wasn’t that girly. Moving his hand off of Aria’s, Frodo returned to his plate and said, pretending to act civilized, “That is, if you want to spend loads of time with me. You don’t have to.” He gave her his trademark cheeky grin.

Aria let out a giggle, making Frodo’s face flush red in embarrassment. Girls were tough to understand, too complicated. So then, what was Pearl doing at this hour? Probably making herself pretty. That’s what Frodo could expect from a girly girl.

Bilbo inquired to Frodo, his parents and Aria, “Tonight, we’re going to have some merry celebrating of our own, before the start of the new year. If you all would like to join me in the parlor after supper, and I do make good reminders, we can begin with some tales of my adventures.” There were many agreeing sounds coming from Frodo and his parents, and a quiet ‘yeah’ from Aria. “Good. Then we’ll get started on that as soon as we’re ready.”

Then there was a pause and more conversations from Drogo, Primula and Bilbo. Frodo found himself becoming more comfortable with Aria. It was like she were one of the boys, even though she was a girl and acted very much like one… at least, that’s how Frodo saw Aria. While Aria was collecting herself and becoming a little looser around Frodo, she couldn’t help feeling her uptight behavior starting to show again. She was not at home and she knew it, but Bag End felt something more like home to her.

o-o-o

At the end of supper, and once the dishes were washed and put away, everyone met Bilbo in the parlor. There, Bilbo told Frodo and Aria, who sat on the floor before his feet, the tale of how he helped the company of Thorin Oakenshield out of the halls of the Woodland Realm:

“So I snuck into the Elven-king Thranduil’s halls. No Wood-elves saw me, but it was sure a sight to see. From there, I took the keys from the cellar and freed the Dwarves. They were thrilled to see me, delighted, and then with me as their temporary leader, I led them back to the cellar and put them in barrels. Now, these were massive barrels, enough to fit a Dwarf and myself. Then we rolled out the chute and into the river. As our barrels moved and sloshed in the river, we sang songs and gave a merry cheer. We were on our way to the Lonely Mountain…”

Aria raised a hand.

Bilbo turned his gaze to Aria, asking politely, “Yes my dear?”

Aria asked, promptly, “Did you meet Legolas? He is a Woodland Elf, is he not?”

“Whose Legolas?” asked Frodo, clearly confused.

Aria glanced at Frodo for a moment, before returning her gaze to Bilbo. Bilbo looked outright confused. Politely, he told Aria, “Which Legolas, dear? There’s more than one.”

“Oh, Legolas… Greenleaf? The Elven-king’s son,” said Aria, doing her best to correct her error. Frodo snickered a little at this question.

“Greenleaf is Legolas’s name translated. That is _not_ his last name. The correct way to say his name is Legolas Thranduilion. Now, you ask me whether I met this Legolas, Thranduil’s son: as it happens, I only met him when I at last gained an audience with Thranduil, but that coincided with the end of my journey and my return home*,” said Bilbo. “But moving away from Legolas, would you children like to hear the tale of how I bested the trolls in the Lone-lands?”

“I’ve heard this one before, several times,” said Frodo.

“How did you best the trolls?” asked Aria, curious.

And so Bilbo told his tale, at which he mentioned Gandalf the Grey using his voice to trick the trolls into thinking they were angering the other. It was a thrilling tale that Aria got into. Frodo looked at her from time to time. She was a pretty girl, but… maybe he should focus on Bilbo’s story…

As the evening advanced, Frodo enlightened Aria and his family with some dances that he came up with. Some of these were just for fun, but even then Frodo allowed Aria to join in. Drogo and Primula made some clapping sounds to help Frodo and Aria fall into the beat. Frodo twirled Aria a few times, before the two danced a little bit faster. Aria’s cheery laughter was enough to liven up the room, but then Frodo’s laughter made Aria giggle even louder. Eventually, Frodo grabbed Aria by the waist as they fell on the rug. Their laughter nearly diminished until they could hear Drogo, Primula and Bilbo applauding them.

Drogo cried in delight, “Again! Again!”

“Drogo!” cried Primula, nudging her husband.

Snapping out of their reverie, Frodo pulled Aria off the rug and into a standing position. As Frodo bowed, Aria curtseyed, only to leave them with more applause. Bilbo was too delighted that he looked at the time:

“And welcome to the new year! Happy Yule everyone!” said Bilbo. More applause, this time it was towards the new year and the second main day of Yule.

Frodo gazed at Aria. In one swift movement, Frodo pulled Aria in. Then it dawned on him when their breathing turned fast and their hearts beat like a galloping pony. Realizing what he was doing, even though he knew the tradition, Frodo moved away from Aria, who flushed red with embarrassment and giggled shyly.

Frodo apologized at once. “I’m sorry. I’m not ready for this.”

“That’s all right. There’s no need to rush things,” admitted Aria. “We’re friends after all.”

“Yeah, we _are_ friends,” said Frodo. He gave Aria a cheeky smirk, making her giggle all the more. He still was unsure about these new feelings, but he knew they meant something. Maybe he would ask Aria about it sometime after Yule was over or during… he didn’t really know.

Primula told Frodo and Aria, “All right, children, it’s off to bed with you.”

Aria nodded, charging off into the hallway. Frodo followed his mother into the bathroom, where his bath awaited him. Aria smirked as she entered the guest room for her use, but gave Frodo a knowing expression. Frodo was embarrassed and it showed across his face. He waved at her, mere moments before Primula dragged him into the bathroom, closing the door in one swift glide.

“Have fun, Frodo,” said Aria to herself, quite merrily, as she closed the bedroom door.

Indeed, it was a good night. But now it was time to go to sleep. At the same time, doubt spread across Aria’s face. She already felt like she and Frodo had become more than friends, but Frodo backed away. Maybe she would ask him about it, but then… were they even ready for this sort of thing? What was it they were experiencing? This was so new and strange to her, she hardly knew what to say or call these rushing feelings. They were unlike anything she experienced and they showed in rapid time.

Maybe Frodo felt the same, maybe he didn’t. Either way, it was an experience that Aria found to be unlike anything she ever witnessed, but had seen before with couples she watched in the movies and animation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Footnotes:
> 
> *I’m not sure how canon this claim Bilbo made is, with how he met Legolas Thranduilion, who everyone has become acquainted with since The Lord of the Rings. As far as I know, it’s as close to canon as we’ll get because J.R.R. Tolkien never really described whether Bilbo actually met Legolas. So, all I can say is this is an original claim that could be considered canon.


	31. Fishing in Bywater

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we’re skipping ahead in time a few days after Yule and coming to an idea that DoctorWhovian18 came up with, which is in this chapter as we speak. With the fishing part, I had help from DoctorWhovian18 and the hobbits, especially with one word I needed to describe the fishing rod being bit by a fish. So I am thanking them for this. :)
> 
> Also, as DoctorWhovian18 pointed out, my relationship with Frodo is moving too fast. This chapter will make sure that my relationship with Frodo slows down, but I thought I had already established this last chapter. Oh well, we’ll see what happens in this chapter, but it’s reminding me of stereotypical summer romance, actually, or one of those friendships where we tell people everything and then we never see them again.

On the day before Frodo had to return to Hogwarts via Platform 9 ¾, while he ate breakfast, thoughts of Pearl Took entered Frodo’s mind. Pearl was another pretty girl, quite stunning too, and very girly… wait a second! What was his insane mind thinking? Why was he having all these strange feelings? Were they really only there to bug him?

And still, he thought of Pearl. Then he remembered what Pippin told him about Pearl: she would be four or five years old around this time in the Shire. Wasn’t she too young for him? Then again, age did not really matter. He liked being around those younger than him. A small pressing thump entered his heart towards Pearl. She was so beautiful and… but he also thought Aria was beautiful. What exactly were these feelings?

Aria joined him at the table. As Bilbo put some scrambled eggs and bacon on Aria’s plate, Frodo spoke outright, asking a question that formed in his mind, “Bilbo, Aria, what do you call feelings that are just starting to blossom, but you’re not sure where they’re going?”

Aria gave him a look as though he had gone mad. “It’s a crush, Frodo. I have a crush on you.” She surprised herself. Did she really admit this? Her face flushed red, making her more uncomfortable.

Frodo chuckled shyly. “Well, I have a crush on you, too, Aria. But I’m also thinking about Pearl Took. Maybe… well, maybe I have a crush on her, too.”

“Oh,” said Aria, feeling a little hurt. Maybe this was all right.

Frodo turned to her with a calm gaze. “No need to be concerned, Aria. I wouldn’t forget you.”

Aria grinned shyly, but couldn’t help feeling still hurt. “Thanks.”

As Bilbo sat down, he relayed to Frodo and Aria, “Well, I do remember being twelve years old. I had my first crush on this young witch at Hogwarts. Plimpton Flinwing was her name; of course, she turned out to be a Slytherin and didn’t fancy me very well. I never did figure out the reason for her behavior. Let’s call it a boy’s crush, which immediately stopped when I turned thirteen.”

“How did it go?” asked Frodo, chuckling. Bilbo’s stories were sure fascinating.

Aria was intrigued by Bilbo’s story as well, listening intently to every word spoken. It sounded like a well-rehearsed tale.

Bilbo chuckled at himself, going on into the story, “It didn’t end well, my lad. Plimpton had this issue with hobbits, thinking we had small feet and no brains. So I told her that we have big feet and a large brain. Then she tried to use the spell Melofors to turn my head into a pumpkin. The spell back-fired and everyone laughed at her. I did give her some comfort, while tending to her at the Hospital Wing. We had a good friendship throughout Hogwarts, Plimpton and I.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes, I daresay it went well having a good friend, even though she is a female.”

“Females aren’t all that bad, as long as you choose the right ones,” said Aria, speaking wisely.

“My, my, you are very inquisitive for your age,” said Bilbo with encouragement.

Aria said, shyly, “Thanks.”

“Bilbo’s right about you, Aria. You’re as inquisitive as Hermione,” said Frodo. A wave of confusion struck him. Was he really complimenting on Hermione’s antics?

Aria was stunned. “Look at you, Frodo: complimenting Hermione Granger. Oh wow!”

Frodo turned to her. “You are a bunch of mischief yourself, Aria.”

Aria let out a small giggle, continuing to eat her food in silence. Frodo shook his head at her, before giving her a wink. Okay, now he was out of his league! Complimenting girls was just something he was not equipped to accomplish, no matter the odds. Clearly he missed something there or… was he at all in the right? Girls were strange, but Aria seemed all right, as did Hermione. Then there was Pearl and her sour look she gave him at the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. What had he missed? He was only watching the game…

Putting the thought aside, Frodo realized he had eaten most of his food. Once the trio had finished their breakfast, with Bilbo putting away the dishes, Frodo turned to Aria. She was his friend and he could admit it there.

“Do you want to go fishing with me?” asked Frodo, blushing.

“Sure, but I don’t want to touch the worms,” said Aria.

Frodo chuckled. “I know. You’ve told me.”

“Really? I’ve forgotten,” said Aria.

“Well, I didn’t,” said Frodo, standing up. “I’ll grab my fishing rod.” He disappeared down the hallway. When he entered the study, he found Bilbo writing again. Frodo told him, “Aria and I are going fishing in Bywater.”

“All right, but make sure to give Aria your beginner’s rod, if she’s not used to fishing,” said Bilbo. “You have your second rod, right? The one your parents gave you.”

“I’ve got them both right here,” said Frodo, showing his uncle both rods. The beginner’s rod was rather small, but would it suit Aria? Frodo didn’t know, but then Aria seemed much smaller in height than him.

“Good,” said Bilbo, pleased. “Now just make sure you don’t trek mud in the house, like you did last time.*”

Frodo grinned mischievously. Then he said maturely, “Don’t worry about me, uncle. I’ll take care of Aria. She’s my responsibility after all.”

“She is your guest. Treat her well out there,” said Bilbo.

Frodo grunted, saying nothing in exchange. Quietly, he left the study and went into the dining room, where Aria stood up as if on cue. This shocked Frodo. He wasn’t expecting this kind of response from her. It almost terrified him. Aria was uncomfortable yet again. Maybe she had moved too fast for him… or something. She felt embarrassed. Hoping to resolve this issue quickly, Frodo passed to Aria his beginner’s rod, before leading Aria outside Bag End. Finding the bucket of earthworms, Frodo led Aria straight to the gate.

They were on their way down the Hill now, making good time. Aria did her best to keep Frodo’s beginner’s rod up in the air, so the line wouldn’t slack on the dirt road. Frodo finally managed to tell Aria to use the reel to hold the line in place, but not too tightly. He hardly was able to hold a conversation with her as they walked to the village of Bywater, with Aria’s mind still fixated on the fishing rod.

When at last they came to Bywater, Frodo showed Aria the spot where he and Bilbo fished whenever Frodo came to visit his uncle… well, his cousin actually but Frodo preferred to call Bilbo his uncle, as if Bilbo and Drogo were brothers when they in fact weren’t immediate family. Aria did catch on, which surprised Frodo, because explaining genealogy was something every hobbit knew and had to learn. Putting that aside, Frodo helped Aria put a worm on her fishing rod, before she swung the string out onto the Lake. Frodo did the same for his and their fishing began.

A thought struck Frodo, which he had to ask, “Aria, you know you don’t need to take life so seriously.”

“Well, it’s just, I feel like I’m on the losing side, mostly with card games, but still…”

Frodo was a little taken aback, but gave her advice, “Aria, don’t be this way. We shouldn’t be too comfortable with the losing side. You’re not with me, are you?”

Aria looked at Frodo then. His words were sincere. Maybe she should use them. “No. I think we’re on the winning side. Thank you, Frodo. That’s really sweet.”

Frodo blushed in embarrassment. “Well, I’m sure you win at some things. Look at us, we’re on the winning side and we’re friends. I call that an achievement in itself.”

“Yeah, it is an achievement,” said Aria, thinking it through. She had to admit: being friends with Frodo was quite the accomplishment. Maybe she was winning and was good at some things after all. Maybe it was better that she stop thinking of herself as a loser and more as a winner, at least on what she could win. She glanced at Frodo, just as her fishing rod yanked in her hand. Paying more attention to Frodo’s instructions, Aria reeled in, pulled, and continued to reel in her catch. She did not want this fish to break free or make the line break.

At last, Aria triumphed at getting a fish, and it was quite large. Frodo told her, as Aria held onto the fish that it was a catfish, but he had yet to figure out how many inches it was. At that, Frodo reeled in a smelt. Deciding to take advantage of their catches, Frodo left Aria with their catches while he went after the taxidermist in Bywater. When Frodo returned, the taxidermist measured the fishes and found Aria’s to be seven inches, while Frodo’s fish was five inches. With help from other taxidermists, the hobbit taxidermists took Frodo and Aria’s fishes, allowing the two children to follow them inside the taxidermy building.

Frodo asked the hobbit taxidermist, “How much for today?”

“Four pennies,” said the taxidermist. Frodo paid for the fishes, at which the taxidermist told him and Aria, “All right, the fishes will be mounted and ready in two weeks. We’ll mail them to you both by owl then.”

“Thank you. Aria, let’s go,” said Frodo, heading out. Aria followed after him. Once they were outside, Frodo asked her, “So now that we’re friends and nothing more, I’ve been meaning to ask you: what happens when we do get to Hogwarts? I mean, this feels like one of those friendships where we tell each other everything, and then we never see each other again after the holidays are over. You know what I mean?”

“I think I do,” admitted Aria.

“Well, we shouldn’t let ours go that way. We should come and visit each other after class,” said Frodo.

“Don’t you have other friends?” asked Aria, concerned.

“Wait until you meet them,” said Frodo.

“Frodo, I’ll be studying, doing what most girls do with homework. I just don’t have time…”

“Give it a chance, give _me_ a chance. I don’t want this friendship to end and I’m sure you don’t either,” said Frodo, taking her hand. He wasn’t afraid of her, much, but the butterflies did return. “Please consider this. It’ll do us both some good.”

“What you’re asking I’m not used to doing, not for years. I’m afraid of having a long-term friend. What could happen? We don’t even know if this is just a short-term crush, Frodo,” admitted Aria.

Frodo moved her over to a bench. There, Frodo told her, calmly and being polite as possible, “Aria, I don’t know why but fate brought us together. You are my author after all. You will continue this, right?”

“Do I have a choice?” asked Aria. Thoughts crept up on her. Those at the Authors’ House would go mad if they knew she’d quit on them. Then there was Frodo. He was too sweet for words. She had to remember they were only friends, nothing more. Besides, even if they could be more in the future, maybe, just maybe, they would know more about each other… oh, she had to do more research on Frodo Baggins, especially when she returned to Hogwarts. But then he was right in front of her too… “I always have a choice.”

Frodo placed a hand on hers. “Aria, we’re friends and I want us to be that way. Let’s make a promise never to forget each other. That way, when we’re ready, we’ll know we were always friends.”

“That’s a big promise, Frodo,” admitted Aria.

“Well, I don’t see why we shouldn’t make a promise,” said Frodo.

Aria paused. “All right, but it will kind of hard to forget you, you know. I am still your fan.”

“And I promise to not forget you,” said Frodo. How was Pearl doing? Feeling his mind detract from the topic at hand, Frodo gave Aria a cheeky, guilty grin.

Aria let out a small giggle. She extended her hand, “Friends?” In a way, she was promising herself to tread carefully with this one, especially since they were friends. It was time she start a friendship slow and see where it went from there. Yes, her heart was telling her one thing, but she had to be cautious.

Frodo took her hand, “Friends,” and shook it. Ending the conversation there, Frodo said, “Come on. Let’s head back to Bag End.” And of course, Aria followed after him.

Being back at Bag End meant that the holidays were ending and school would be starting up again. The very next morning, Frodo and Aria would have to return to Platform 9 ¾, where they would step onto the Hogwarts Express. Frodo had no idea what would happen when he and Aria returned to Hogwarts, other than memories to what lurked in the Forbidden Corridor set Frodo’s curiosity in motion. Then there was his friendship with Sam, Merry, Pippin, Fredegar, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George. He knew he needed to make amends on his behavior and solidify their friendship. He only hoped he wasn’t too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Footnotes:
> 
> *While her story and this story don’t relate except for this mention, an example of Frodo getting mud on him actually came from DoctorWhovian18’s story _A Lesson in Buckland_ , which is on Fanfiction.net. You can look there for the idea, but this was only a mention.


	32. The Train Ride Back

The following morning, at around 8:30, the day Frodo and Aria would return to Hogwarts, two carts appeared in the Entrance Hall of Bag End. Bilbo was pleased that, even though he had been away from Hogwarts now for the past couple of decades, the carts still found their way to his hobbit home. Gathering their luggage and their owl cages – Prim, Frodo’s owl, was still flying around outside in search of a field mouse, while Aria’s owl Hedwer had taken flight to deliver one of Aria’s recent letters to the Authors’ House – with assistance from Bilbo, no doubt, Frodo and Aria were able to get their trunks and owl cages loaded up onto each cart.

Now, it was time to ring the gold bell, which rested at the very centermost part of the front green door. Frodo was amazed that, even here at Bag End, Bilbo’s hobbit-hole also possessed a gold doorbell.

Bilbo, approaching the door, told the two, “When you’re ready, children.”

“You ready?” asked Frodo, staring at Aria.

Aria nodded. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”

Frodo returned his gaze to his uncle, surprised at how fast Aria’s reaction turned out. “I’m ready as I’ll ever be, uncle.”

“Right,” said Bilbo. He instructed them, “Now, let’s think of the place we need to go, ring the bell and open the door.”

Frodo closed his eyes hard. He did not want to miss this chance to go back to Hogwarts and apologize to his friends. It was crucial he return now. He couldn’t miss this chance for anything. His mind drew him back to Platform 9 ¾, which almost rippled into form, taking a life all its own. His eyes snapped open the moment Bilbo opened the front door.

Before them was the platform, and there, standing on the rails, was the Hogwarts Express. Frodo waited until Aria zipped past him and through the open doorway, before he darted in after her. Bilbo followed at an impressive rate, but did everyone a favor by closing the door, which on the other side was not painted and looked very much like an ordinary round wooden door. It was still early and there wasn’t much of a crowd, which in Frodo’s mind was good since that meant he and Aria could find a good compartment to sit in that was still empty… and get changed into their school uniforms.

Finding one of the train carriage doors, Frodo, with help from Bilbo opening the door, unloaded his cart. Immediately, he darted inside, discovering that all the compartments were empty. He went inside the middle compartment, setting his trunk on the seat as well was his owl’s cage. Once this was done, Frodo dashed back to the compartment door, where Bilbo and Aria waited. Taking her trunk off her hands, Frodo dragged the trunk to his compartment and set it down on the opposite seat. Frodo nearly bumped into Aria as she entered the compartment.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Aria, apologizing better by staying outside the compartment. As soon as Frodo backed further into the compartment, Aria set her owl cage by the door side window.

With these tasks done, Frodo called to Aria, “Come on. Let’s say farewell to my uncle.”

“Won’t we be seeing him again?” asked Aria, curious.

Frodo thought it over on the way down the corridor, “Well… not until five months from now, counting this month, when we’re done at Hogwarts for the year. I read it on the notice board in the Ravenclaw Tower.”

“I remember that notice,” said Aria, absentmindedly.

Frodo was stunned. Gazing at her for a moment, confusion sweeping across his demeanor, Frodo replied, “You saw that? I haven’t seen you in Ravenclaw Tower…”

“Frodo, your uncle’s right there!” spoke Aria, pointing out the open carriage door.

Indeed, Frodo had arrived at the open compartment door much sooner than he expected. Grateful for this warning, and not stirring the accident of him crashing onto the stone floor, Frodo stepped out of the carriage, embracing Bilbo in an effort not to let go, as if the Shire would slip away from the hobbit boy’s grasp before he had the chance to return. Stunned by this effort, yet not wanting to upset the boy, Bilbo wrapped his arms around Frodo in a tender, fatherly manner.

Aria hardly understood the meaning of… no, she couldn’t let her terrible thoughts in. She was better than this. Bilbo raised a hand out to Aria, as did Frodo. Neither wanted her to feel lonely. Beaming, Aria rushed up to the two hobbits, falling into the hug. While Aria did not have a strong grasp as the other two, she nonetheless made an effort to hug Bilbo and Frodo. The group hug only lasted for a few moments, upon which Bilbo released the two children.

“All right, you two better get a move on. You don’t want your compartment taken by another student,” warned Bilbo. It was the best one he had for this situation.

“We won’t,” said Aria, perkiness returning to her facial features.

However, Frodo wasn’t finished. Facing his uncle, Frodo asked him, “My parents know you brought me and Aria here…”

“Yes, my lad, they’re already aware we’re here. We planned it out before I brought you and Aria to Bag End, on Christmas morning,” said Bilbo.

“Right,” said Frodo. His parents already knew this would happen. Of course they knew. Perking up, Frodo said one final farewell to Bilbo, “Well, until we meet again, uncle.”

“Five months, Frodo, adding this month, and you’ll be back in the Shire,” said Bilbo.

Frodo gave Bilbo a fierce wide grin. Stepping into the carriage, Frodo closed the carriage’s door, waving to his uncle from the windows inside. Bilbo waved back, showing no tears streaming down his face. _Frodo will do fine_ , Bilbo thought, watching the lad from where he stood. The two hobbits continued their waving until more parents and Hogwarts students arrived. Not wanting to lose his compartment, Frodo dashed inside, where Aria was already seated next to her trunk. She dressed while Frodo stood out in the corridor, waving absentmindedly at his uncle. She now wore her Hogwarts school robes, which consisted of a long sapphire-blue robe, a baby-blue blouse, and a long grey skirt that went down to her knees. Frodo saw that she wore the same tennis shoes, as well as long white socks.

True, Frodo was amazed at Aria, who looked even more beautiful in her uniform. The only comment he gave her, a cheeky one at that, was, “You changed fast. Are those your school robes?”

Aria, a little offended by Frodo’s snarky remark, told him, firmly, “Yes. All us authors and authoresses have to wear one at Hogwarts.” She shrugged. “I’ve adjusted, but...”

“But what?” asked Frodo, closing the door and the shades.

“But I don’t really like wearing uniforms,” said Aria, announcing with a little whine.

A little taken back by the comment, Frodo asked her, speaking more maturely, “Is there any reason why you don’t like them?”

“It’s not that. It’s in general,” said Aria.

“Ah,” said Frodo. He changed the subject on her. “Now, don’t look. I’m going to get dressed.”

Aria did as she was told. The second she saw Frodo start changing out of his country clothes, Aria’s gaze fell instantly on the window. Her grimace only lasted a few minutes or so, at least until Frodo tapped her arm. Aria’s shyness was revealed upon her face when she turned around, wondering why Frodo was getting her attention. She was still very shy. Frodo was now wearing his blue Hobbit school uniforms, with the Ravenclaw emblem sewn into the jacket and vest.

Frodo told her, kind and a little quiet, “Aria, I’m decent now.”

Aria nodded, making sure he knew she was in agreement. Right away, she went after her trunk, doing her best to put it up on the rack. Frodo rushed over to her side, just as the train started to move out of the station.

“No, I think we should let an older student help us get these trunks on the racks,” suggested Frodo.

“All right,” said Aria. Thinking better of the situation, Aria spoke, politely, “Is there anyone around?”

As if on cue, there was a rasp on the compartment door. Opening the shades, Frodo discovered it was Fatty Bolger, waving to him with a crooked grin stretched across his face. Frodo opened the compartment door for him, giving Fatty entrance into his and Aria’s compartment.

The moment Fatty sat down across from Aria, gabbing on about some family member getting into a rut, Frodo apologized to his four-month friend: “Fatty, I have to apologize for my behavior. Usually, I’m a kind and polite boy who craves a good adventure, and some pranks. I hope you can inform the others as well.”

“I’ll let them know you apologized. Thank you, Frodo. That’s very generous of you,” said Fatty. “Did you make a lot of friends in the Shire?”

“Yes, I have friends there. I know how to make friends and how to keep them,” said Frodo.

Aria stared at her feet. She wished she was good at keeping friends.

“That’s good practice, Frodo,” said Fatty.

“Could you-” Frodo did not need to say much. As soon as he pointed to the trunks, Frodo stood back as Fatty loaded them onto the racks.

“Thanks.” Frodo took a seat next to Aria. He asked Fatty, “So, you were having trouble with your sister.”

Aria was a bit stunned, and once again uncomfortable. This tension managed to ease up for the first time, this time. Frodo blushed slightly; he found Aria’s uncomfortable behavior quite cute… he was doing it again, and he only knew Aria for two weeks…

Fatty snapped Frodo out of his reverie. “Estella’s got it into her head that I’m some sort of a whoopee cushion. So, she’s been trying to get me to make raspberry noises all day yesterday. It’s a bit annoying, actually.”

Frodo couldn’t help chuckling there. “She reminds me of Merry, and myself.”

Fatty’s eyes narrowed at that. “Just be grateful my sister isn’t at Hogwarts yet. I’d hate to see what Estella’s like around Merry. I hope she gets into Gryffindor.”

“Well, I hope there’s another hobbit from the Shire that’s in Ravenclaw next year. All the other hobbits in my house are from other worlds… no offense, Aria,” said Frodo.

“None taken,” said Aria. She informed the two hobbit boys, “Although, I read up that Middle-earth is a precursor to my world, Earth. Maybe both worlds are parallel to each other. Maybe they’re not.”

Fatty shook his head in annoyance. “So you’re Frodo’s new friend?”

“I’m Aria. Aria Breuer, but my nickname is Maisie by those at the Authors’ House. And also in the Authors and Authoresses’ Chamber at Hogwarts. Depending on the hobbit whose in what house, and what our values our, each author and authoress is assigned to a hobbit attending Hogwarts. It started up again this year,” explained Aria.

“She sounds like Hermione,” said Frodo. He asked Fatty, “So, whose your author?”

“My authoress is a Hufflepuff and a bit annoying. She says she has a crush on me. Of all the nerve,” said Fatty.

“Aria has a crush on me, too,” said Frodo.

Aria’s cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. She didn’t like announcing these things in public.

Their conversation was interrupted by the food trolley witch, who asked the three, “Anything off the trolley, dears?”

Frodo and Fatty charged towards the food trolley, wizard money on hand. Aria, feeling last and annoyed, grabbed her money from her pocket, before regrouping with the two hobbit boys. They were so much taller than she.

“A pumpkin pastie, three cauldron cakes, and two liquorice wands,” said Frodo.

Aria told him, “You’re going to eat all of that?”

“They’re not just for me,” said Frodo to Aria, before he paid for the sweets.

“I’ll get my own, Frodo,” said Fatty, telling the food trolley witch what he was having.

When it was Aria’s turn, she told the witch, hesitant, “I’ll have a pumpkin pastie, please?”

“Here you are, dear,” said the food trolley witch, passing to Aria the unopened packet. The moment Aria stepped away from the food trolley, the witch continued her rounds.

Having the cauldron cake and the pumpkin pastie on hand, Fatty admitted to Frodo and Aria, “I’m in the next compartment. I should head back. Hermione and Neville will be missing me, wondering where I am.”

“All right,” said Frodo, chuckling giddily. “And let them know what I said.”

“I will,” said Fatty, disappearing down the corridor with his sweets.

Frodo peered at Aria’s only sweet, which she ate in small bites. He asked her, “Savoring your food?”

“I don’t want to waste it,” admitted Aria.

“I can give you some of my sweets,” said Frodo, grinning at her.

“No, that’s fine. You keep them,” said Aria.

“I insist. Besides, I’d rather not waste dinner on too many sweets, you know,” said Frodo. He passed to her one of his cauldron cakes. “Here and here’s a liquorice wand.”

“Thanks, but I don’t like black liquorice,” admitted Aria.

“More for me then,” said Frodo, snatching the liquorice wand from Aria’s grasp. Although Aria didn’t say anything, the glare she gave him sent shivers up and down Frodo’s spine. But that didn’t deter Frodo’s chipper mood. Chuckling, Frodo said, patting her back, “Oh, you need to lighten up every once in a while.”

“We still hardly know each other,” said Aria, chomping down her pumpkin pastie. Holding the small box with the cauldron cake inside, Aria told Frodo, politely, “Thanks for this.”

Frodo grinned back, returning a reply, “You’re quite welcome.” While munching on a cauldron cake, as soon as he consumed his second liquorice wand, Frodo asked Aria, on a more serious note, “So, will you be attending the feast tonight? Or any night? I haven’t seen you around.”

“I’ve been at the feast, since we started the term back in September. Didn’t you see me?” asked Aria, curious.

Frodo shook his head. “I didn’t know you then. I do now.”

Aria blushed warmly. “I’ll sit with you, Frodo. If you must know, I’ll be in the Authors and Authoress’ Chamber between meals. All student authors and authoresses take classes there, different from the witches, wizards and hobbits at Hogwarts. We’re kind of cut off from everyone, except during meals.”

“So, where is this Authors and Authoress’ Chamber, if I might ask?” asked Frodo, curious.

“It’s by the Viaduct, in a secret corridor found behind the Portrait of Günther der Gewalttätige ist der Gewinner,” said Aria, speaking a little German due to the portrait.

“Huh?” asked Frodo, not understanding German. “Behind who?”

“Sorry. It’s German for ‘Gunther the Violent Is the Winner’. In truth, it’s the Portrait of Gunther the Violent and he’s not a very friendly portrait, hence his name. He speaks fluently in both German and English. He may know Westron, but I can’t be sure. You’ll have to talk to him and see if he’ll let you in. The password this year is ‘Gunther is great’. He’s sure to let you in, I hope,” explained Aria.

“Thanks. I’ll try it when we’re back at Hogwarts,” said Frodo.

“Okay. I’ll look forward to meeting you in the Authors and Authoress’ Chamber,” said Aria.

“Hopefully, we’re not too overloaded with homework,” admitted Frodo.

“Yeah. It’s been a long time since I had any real fun. Most of my time is devoted to writing and reading,” said Aria.

Frodo chuckled at this, “Don’t worry, Aria. I’ll make sure to keep you from being bored. I’ll even let you in on a few pranks.”

“Oh, I don’t prank…” She ate her cauldron cake in a hurried fashion. She was still hungry, her stomach growled without warning.

Frodo couldn’t help but laugh, passing to her his second cauldron cake.

“Thanks,” said Aria. She opened the packet quickly. As soon as she had the cauldron cake on hand, Aria stuffed her face with it, doing her best to keep her face clean.

“Come on. Pranking is fun. I’ll even introduce you to Fred and George,” said Frodo.

Hermione charged into the compartment. She was ecstatic. “Frodo, so you’ve finally come to your senses! In that case, I officially welcome you to be a part of my group with Harry and Ron. Fredegar insists on telling Merry, Pippin and Sam about your apology, but you might as well tell them yourself.”

“I’ll get on it,” said Frodo. “Thanks.” A thought occurred to him. Stopping Hermione in her tracks, Frodo asked her, “Wait, Hermione. Do you know the portrait of Gunther the Violent?”

“The one leading into the Authors and Authoresses’ Chamber?” asked Hermione. “I’ve heard mention of it. You can find it in Hogwarts: A History, if you want to learn more about it. I have a copy of the book, in case you wanted to read more about…”

“No, I’ll check the library. Thanks Hermione,” said Frodo, refusing the offer.

“Very well. The train conductor says we’ll be at Hogwarts soon,” said Hermione.

“Okay,” said Frodo.

Taking the hint that it was the end of their conversation, Hermione retreated into hers, Neville’s, and Fatty’s compartment. Frodo and Aria were alone again.

“I’m not sure about pranking, Frodo,” said Aria. “It doesn’t sound like fun. It sounds more like mischief-making, but I would love to meet Fred and George Weasley.”

Perfect. Frodo was expecting Aria to join him on his pranks. Giving a small grin of appreciation, Frodo replied, “Great. I’ll introduce you to the twin brothers. You’ll see. They’re real friendly.”

“I’m sure they are,” said Aria, shyly.

The train conductor announced, “The train will arrive in five minutes. Please leave your luggage aboard. They will be brought to the castle.”

“Come on, Aria,” said Frodo, heading to the compartment door.

Aria followed, doing her best not to step on Frodo’s heels. It was very hard for someone wearing shoes to not step on someone who walked barefooted, and Aria did her best to remind herself that Frodo wasn’t wearing shoes.

Frodo admitted to her, before they stepped off the train, “I wish I could wear boots, like the Harfoots.”

“Really? I’m sure the school could loan you some shoes,” said Aria, making a quick suggestion. “Or you can buy some.”

Frodo waved a hand, as if shooing away the suggestion. “No, no. It’s fine. Although, come to think on it, the thought doesn’t sound half bad.”

“But I could still ask the teachers…”

“That’s not necessary,” said Frodo, keeping his voice firm. However, he received no response from Aria. “I’m sorry. I know how sensitive you are. I’ll do my best to remember-” But he was cut off the second he stepped outside.

The weather was still bitter cold and snowy. Nightfall didn’t help the situation. Peering over his shoulder, Frodo could tell Aria was freezing. She looked so frail. In hopes of keeping her a bit warmer, Frodo sped Aria down to the snowy shore with the other first years, where Hagrid waited for them.

o-o-o

Frodo never grew tired of the evening feasts at Hogwarts. All his favorite foods were there, but what made this evening a little more better was that Aria sat next to him. She was the first Ravenclaw friend Frodo had and he wasn’t planning on getting her bored.

Frodo asked her, while they ate dinner, “So, what kind of grades have you gotten? Are you really talented or…”

“Nowadays, no,” admitted Aria. “My grades are up and down. Besides, we’re not in the same classes and the classes I’m in aren’t magical, or have anything to do with magic. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me,” said Frodo.

“Well, there’s a lot to learn this first year: grammar and spelling, and how to show in your writing. Professor Cherryhill looked at my work I wrote about you, and she said its fine for a beginner. But it’s hard. I’ve only filled out three or four pages in your book so far,” admitted Aria.

“Maybe I’d like to try it,” said Frodo.

Aria stared at him, stunned. “Frodo, you don’t become a writer overnight. It takes time, patience, lots of patience. It’s not easy to tell a story.”

“It’s worth a shot,” said Frodo.

“Then you might ask one of the teachers,” said Aria. “Besides, all my classes are either about writing or reading. I don’t know if you even have that option, Frodo.”

“You never know,” said Frodo. He dug into his squash, eating a couple more bites until it was devoured.

Frodo continued asking Aria questions until Dumbledore sent them and the other students back to their dormitories. To Frodo’s delight, Aria returned with him to the Ravenclaw Tower. From there, and finding themselves exhausted from the feast, Frodo and Aria parted ways.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early,” said Frodo, still grinning crookedly in her direction.

“I look forward to tomorrow,” said Aria, sheepishly. Then it came to her as she made her way up the stairs to the Girls’ Dormitory. It was a stupid line, and yet she said anyway. Now she felt like an idiot. She just knew it…

Frodo found his way to the Boys’ Dormitory. Inside, he spotted another door, a little adjacent to the one leading up to the Mini Study Tower. The notice on the door read: **_KEEP OUT! Authors’ Only!_** This only drew his curiosity further to the brink. Why were the Authors kept out-of-bounds from the other boys, who were their roommates? Why were they so important that they should be kept a secret? He was too eager, and yet sleep overcame his thoughts, making his mind hazy. As soon as Frodo changed into his night clothes and stored his uniform inside his wardrobe, sleep took him the moment his head hit the pillow.


	33. Hogwarts: A History

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What Frodo finds in the Hogwarts: A History book, that idea came from Frodo and yes I’m crediting him. :)

Early the next morning, Frodo awoke feeling refreshed and ready to start the day. Thoughts of Aria and his friends crossed his mind. Hermione suggested he apologized to the others, and now he had a chance to see that plan through. Then there was Aria, perhaps the shiest girl he met that he couldn’t wait to introduce to his friends. With new energy boiling inside himself, Frodo dressed in a fresh set of one of his blue Hobbit uniforms, before he darted out of the Boys’ Dormitory.

It took Frodo no time at all to reach the Ravenclaw Common Room. There, standing before the notice board, was Aria. It was time to give her a good morning scare.

Sneaking up behind her, Frodo placed a hand on her shoulder. As expected, Aria jumped, spinning around fast and facing him. Frodo startled her by saying, “Aria!”

“WHAA!” screamed Aria, a little too loudly. Recovering, and placing a hand over her heart, Aria told him, alarmed and annoyed, “Frodo, it’s you.”

Frodo beamed a cheeky grin at her. He asked her, fast, “Taking a look at the notice board.”

“It says that I’ve got double Grammar with Professor Cherryhill in the Authors and Authoresses’ Chamber first thing this morning,” said Aria, grimacing. “Grammar is not my best subject, Frodo.”

“Yeah, and I’ve got double Potions with the Hufflepuffs this morning; I’m glad the new schedule worked out for us hobbits and everyone else,” said Frodo, looking at the notice for him. “You should be grateful. Potions class is a nightmare, but I’m lucky I’m a hobbit. It reminds me of cooking.”

“Good thing I don’t have to take it. I hear Snape’s awful,” said Aria.

“He doesn’t treat me fairly, I will say that,” admitted Frodo. “Come on. We should head to the Great Hall. Are you hungry?”

“Famished,” said Aria, following Frodo’s lead to the door leading to the Ravenclaw Tower’s spiral staircase.

o-o-o

In a manner of minutes, Frodo and Aria arrived in the Great Hall. There was already a gathering of students eating breakfast, chatting, and walking in and out of the hall. Before Aria had the chance to sit down, Frodo pulled her over to the Gryffindor table, where his group of friends was located. Sam Gamgee, of course, usually sat at the Hufflepuff table, but on this day he was found chatting with Fredegar at the Gryffindor table.

Hermione got Ron’s attention, alerting Harry at the same time, “See Ron, I told you Frodo came here to say something.” Those who were Frodo’s friends turned to face him and Aria now.

Aria felt out of place.

Frodo started with the apology. “I need to apologize to you all. I’ll admit I’ve been acting like a loner. I have friends in the Shire, before I came here, and I still do, but I also know that I have friends here, too. What I’m asking is for forgiveness. My behavior was uncalled for, wrong, and unfair to everyone here. I’m usually a perky chap with an eye for pranking. Can you forgive me?”

“Can we forgive you?” asked Ron.

“Of course we can, Frodo. You’re our friend,” said Harry, grinning at him.

Fred turned to George with a mischievous glint in his eye. “What do you think, George?”

“I think Frodo’s had a fair share of time away from Hogwarts. I think it’s time he owes us a prank on the Slytherins, particularly Lotho,” said George, turning to Frodo.

Beaming, Frodo said, “And for that, I would be obliged to come up with a prank on that sorry sod.” He introduced Aria then and there, “And this is Aria Breuer. She’s the author of that book with my name on the front cover. She’s also my new friend. She’s in Ravenclaw.”

“Well, at least you have someone in your own house now, Frodo,” said Hermione.

“Yes. How’s Frodo treated you during the holidays, Aria? He hasn’t given you a hard time, has he?” teased Merry.

“Or have you given him a hard time?” asked Pippin, also teasing.

Aria didn’t get the jokes. “No.” She whispered to Frodo, “Is that supposed to be a joke?”

Frodo paused. Was she really this slow, or did she not understand when someone was teasing? Breaking the silence, Frodo told Merry and Pippin, “Ease up, guys. Aria’s a bit slow.”

Merry asked, still teasing, “How slow?”

“As slow as a turtle?” asked Pippin, also still teasing Aria.

Aria did not take these jokes well. She looked near in tears. Merry and Pippin only ended up laughing, picking on her more. Frodo was no help, until he spoke to her, cheerfully, “Come on, Aria. They’re only messing with you.”

“Well Frodo, we’ve hardly seen you around a girl, except for Hermione,” said Merry, teasing him now.

“Is my sister Pearl too good for you? She is in Ravenclaw, isn’t she?” asked Pippin, teasing Frodo as well.

Frodo instructed Aria, politely, “You can go and find us a spot at the Ravenclaw table. I’ll meet you there.”

“Okay,” said Aria, relieved to be away from the crowd. Luckily, there was a spot open. As usual, hardly anyone chose to sit by her.

Returning his gaze to his friends, Frodo informed them in low mutters, “Aria doesn’t understand the difference between a joke and when someone’s serious.”

“You learned this much from her?” asked Pippin, speaking between chewing his cereal.

“Just keep your place when you’re near her, okay? She’s a very serious person,” said Frodo.

“I think she needs to break out of her shell, wouldn’t you agree Frodo?” asked Merry, intrigued with an idea.

“Come on, guys. Let her come out on her own time,” said Frodo.

“Be reasonable. Mr. Frodo, I’m sure knows what he’s doin’ with ‘er,” said Sam, telling their friends.

“Would you like to do the honors, Fred?” asked George.

“I’d be delighted, George,” said Fred.

“To do what?” asked Frodo.

However, most of the group fell silent. Hermione was rightly annoyed by the mischief makers. Sam glared at Merry and Pippin, but also hoped someone would answer. Fredegar kept his gaze on his food, unsure what had happened. Seeing as none of his friends were going to respect Aria’s wishes, Frodo departed from the Gryffindor table. Pippin waved to him, not understanding what Frodo’s issue was. He gallantly returned to his conversation with Merry, while the others returned to their own conversations.

The second Frodo joined Aria at the Ravenclaw table Aria asked him, calmly, “What’s going on?”

“Oh… Merry, Pippin, and the others have it in their heads that they should tease you,” Frodo said, “and not in a pleasant manner, like I’ve been doing.”

“You pleasant?” asked Aria, surprised. “Frodo, when have any of your teasing been pleasant?”

Frodo raised an index finger at her. Thinking better of the situation, Frodo’s grin became a cheeky one. He told her, chuckling and getting a few ideas of his own up his sleeve, “Nothing, but you have given me a very good couple of ideas.”

Aria stopped eating and stared at him. Was he being serious? When was this cheeky behavior ever going to stop?

Feeling her gaze on his neck, Frodo told her, serious, “Aria, if you give me that look, we’ll begin an argument that won’t end well. Now do you want that, or would you consider us still friends?”

The glare passed from her face, forcing Aria to realize what she was about to pull. She apologized at once, “I’m sorry. I just don’t know when to stop being so angry.”

“I won’t hurt you,” said Frodo. “I promise.”

“You mean that?” asked Aria. A worried look crossed her face. To her, it felt like a double-edged sword. She didn’t want to hurt him, but could she trust him not to do the same to her? She hoped this would never happen to her.

Frodo nudged her arm. “I do mean that. Why else have my friendships lasted this long?”

Aria had to agree there. She guessed she could trust him. Nodding, Aria said, “Okay, I’ll take your word for it, Frodo.”

“You’ll get used to me, Aria,” said Frodo, giddy, “soon enough.”

Hoping not to disappoint him, Aria gave a small, cheerful grin. It was the best she could do at this hour. As it happened, Frodo and Aria finished their breakfast around the same time. Aria said a small “see you later” to Frodo, before she darted out of the Great Hall. Frodo watched her until Aria disappeared into the Entrance Hall. He was alone.

o-o-o

And so it happened that during their breaks, Frodo joined Harry, Ron and Hermione in the library, looking up information on Nicholas Flamel. They only had ten minutes. It was on this particular Monday morning, the first week back at Hogwarts, Frodo decided to do research on the textbook _Hogwarts: A History_. With help from Madam Pince, Frodo was able to find the book and look up the Portrait of Gunther the Violent. Finding the right page, Frodo read the inked text to himself:

**Günther der Gewalttätige ist der Gewinner (German for Gunther the Violent Is the Winner)*** _is a famous portrait that hangs at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Although many will find this a terrible portrait, behind this portrait stands the Authors and Authoresses’ Chamber. Very cut off from the rest of the school, and invisible on any map, the Authors and Authoresses’ Chamber usually changes its level, space, etc. every time the Portrait of Gunther the Violent is moved to a different spot, somewhere in the castle. Authors and Authoresses tend to wear robes according to the house they are associated with, also depending on which hobbit they are selected to write about. His most famous password, that returns every fifty years, is ‘Gunther is Great’._

Below this inscription, once Frodo read the information, was information about another portrait. This description read also in ink:

**The Blacksmith Room** _is one of the few rooms in Hogwarts that does not have magic. This secret room was kept hidden from Salazar Slytherin, and even though there is the Hogwarts crest emboldened on the room’s main stone forge, Slytherin house itself is not aware of its presence. The room was well-guarded by portraits that only knew their passwords to the room and could only give the password to those that are worthy._ _Its current whereabouts remain unknown, but it is somewhere in the castle. One only needs good eyes and ears to hear this room’s fire._

“Interesting,” said Frodo, intrigued by this secret room and relieved to find the information he needed. He whispered a little too loudly, “Now I know where you two are!”

“Know where what is?” asked Hermione, coming up from behind him.

“Ahhh!” murmured Frodo a little louder than he planned. Relaxing, Frodo said, “Oh Hermione.”

“Did you find what you were looking for?” asked Hermione.

“I’ve got to go,” said Frodo, closing the book.

“But aren’t you going to help Harry, Ron and I look for-”

Frodo told her, whispering, “I still am. I’ll be back here sometime during our next break, okay?”

“All right. I’ll let Harry and Ron know you’re heading out,” said Hermione.

“Yeah. I’ll see you,” said Frodo, heading towards Madam Pince with the book. Once he dropped the book off, Frodo left the library.

Returning to the second-floor corridor, Frodo searched for one of the portraits. In no time, he found the Portrait of Daryle. She looked to be an elderly witch with a strange purple hat with cone-shaped ends on either side, covering her ears. Her robes were royal blue, her features were fair, and resting on her arm with a small tufted owl staring right at the hobbit boy.

Frodo asked the portrait, “Excuse me, but do you have a secret room behind your portrait? I can hear flames.”

“My, my, you are a polite boy. But you must prove yourself worthy, before I let you pass,” said Daryle. “You’re in Ravenclaw, aren’t you?”

“Yes. Yes I am,” said Frodo.

“Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff have been competing for years in Quidditch. If you could be so kind and find out the standings for Hufflepuff this year, I would absolutely adore you,” said Daryle.

Frodo shuffled his feet at that. Shyly, he told her, taking the order seriously, “Okay. I’ll find out for you.” He was in luck, when a first year Hufflepuff, one of his classmates, wandered down the corridor. Stopping the Hufflepuff first year, Frodo asked him, curious, “Hey, mind my asking, what is the current standing for Hufflepuff, with Quidditch?”

“You mean after Ravenclaw lost the match against Hufflepuff? We’re ahead of you in the standings,” said the Hufflepuff boy.

“Thanks,” said Frodo. Moving away from the Hufflepuff first year, so he could continue on his way, Frodo approached the Portrait of Daryle.

Only Daryle looked pleased. “Well, it appears Hufflepuff may have a chance of winning the Quidditch Cup this year, but I am rooting for both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Well done, indeed. Next time, just say ‘Glockenspiel’.”

“Thanks,” said Frodo. Approaching the Portrait of Daryle, Frodo told her, “Glockenspiel!”

“A fine instrument indeed,” said the Portrait of Daryle. “Now please, stand back.”

Frodo did as he was told. The moment the Portrait of Daryle pushed off to one side, a dark hole was revealed. There was a fiery light on the other side, blazoned in torch light, but that was about all Frodo could see of the other end of the tunnel. Climbing onto the floor above, Frodo made his way through the tunnel.

Leaving the tunnel, Frodo came to a grand blacksmith room, complete with everything a blacksmith needed to make his job a lot faster. There was a massive stone forge with a large Hogwarts crest emboldened into the stone above the hearth. Lined up in front of the forge were three or four massive iron anvils. Hanging on metal hooks and in racks, strewn along the walls, were blacksmithing tools. Frodo was amazed at the sight of the room. He wondered why this room was cut off from magic, and yet at the same time he understood the room’s purpose. Thoughts of actually forging a sword drew his interests, making him curious to try his hand at a blacksmithing tool.

Remembering his next class, Frodo climbed back up inside the tunnel and walked back in the direction he came. As soon as he jumped down from the hole, Frodo was back on the second-floor corridor. Good, that was one secret found. Now for the Authors and Authoresses’ Chamber. But when Frodo walked a few feet away from the Portrait of Daryle, the portrait closed up, returning to its first position. He was impressed at this portrait, becoming curious about the others.

“Ah. Now I know how these portraits work,” said Frodo, his curiosity growing. Reminding himself of his next class and having wasted too much time in the secret blacksmith’s room, Frodo sprinted down the corridors and up and down the Grand Staircase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize we haven’t yet explored the Authors and Authoresses’ Chamber, but we will.
> 
> Footnotes:
> 
> *The name of the portrait in German and its translation came from the Harry Potter Wiki.


	34. Lotho Appreciation Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so the idea for Frodo pranking Lotho is sort of similar to a random idea that DoctorWhovian18 came up with for this story. Only, it’s a little different and just as funny.

Quidditch practice for Ravenclaw began Tuesday morning. Frodo, only having time enough to talk to Aria and his friends during breakfast, rushed to the Quidditch pitch, where he found Ned Timbers waiting for him. Ned was in a rather friendly mood that morning, which Frodo found a bit strange.

“You’ve made it, Frodo, and right on time, too. The rest of the team isn’t here yet, but I’ll let you practice as soon as you’re ready,” said Ned.

Frodo was at a loss for words. He was early! “Thanks. I appreciate this-”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” said Ned, shooing him into the Ravenclaw locker room. “Just get changed.”

Frodo rushed inside his team’s locker room, double-time. He figured if he wanted to keep Ned in a pleasant mood meant having to step up his game, which included changing into his Quidditch uniform much faster than he was used to getting dressed. When he finally did dress, grabbed his Nimbus 2000 broomstick, and was ready to get started, Frodo followed Ned onto the Quidditch pitch.

Finding their way towards the middle of the field, Ned stopped and instructed Frodo, “Frodo, I know you’re a little out of practice since the holidays, so we’ll start out easy and then work our way to difficult, if you can handle yourself. Let’s start by catching the Snitch.” He released the Snitch into the air. “When the rest of the team gets here, we’ll practice playing a mock Quidditch match.”

Frodo clambered on his broomstick. When he was ready, Frodo lifted off into the air. It was a different experience being on his new Nimbus 2000. It was much faster than the Comet 260, which made it a little hard adjusting to the faster broomstick. Managing to get a good hold of his broomstick, Frodo searched for the Snitch. A glint of gold passed his vision, causing Frodo to snap his head in the direction the gold was flying. At an incredible speed, Frodo flew closer to the glint of gold, which turned out to be a winged gold ball. It was the Snitch and Frodo clasped his hand over the tiny gold ball. He returned to Ned with his catch.

Ned was impressed. “You caught the Snitch in ten seconds. But that’s only when you’re playing solo and the other team doesn’t have a Reserve Seeker. You know a regular Quidditch match takes longer than ten seconds to complete.”

“I was lucky,” admitted Frodo, handing the gold ball to Ned.

“Let’s keep practicing,” said Ned, throwing the Snitch into the air…

When the rest of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team arrived, it turned out to be a real mock match. Frodo did his best to keep on his toes, especially around Jeremiah, who kept showing off. Jeremiah was still the Seeker and Frodo his substitute, so that hadn’t changed, in spite of Frodo’s promotion from second Substitute Seeker to first Substitute Seeker.

At the end of their training, the Ravenclaw team returned to their locker rooms. After changing back into his blue Hobbit school uniforms, Frodo left the locker room, grabbing his satchel which carried his books and supplies. It was on the way out of the Quidditch gate that Frodo was met by Aria. She was panting.

“You done?” asked Aria.

Frodo told her, calmly, “Take a few deep breaths. So, where have you been?”

“I only just got out of class, but I don’t have much time,” said Aria. “I came to see how you’ve been.”

“I’m doing well. It was tough training today, but I’m working on it,” said Frodo. “So, is there any chance we can-”

However, Aria ended their conversation there. “Oh, I’ve got to go. I should be back at the Authors and Authoresses’ Chamber. I don’t want to miss a class, you know. So bye!” She darted up the stairs a lot faster than she realized.

Frodo was astonished, but confused. He had hoped Aria would stay longer. Then there was Pearl… was Pippin seriously asking him why he wasn’t spending much time with his eldest sister? It was a hard question to answer, but then maybe Pippin was only teasing him. Not bothering to figure out Pippin’s question, Frodo made his way back to the castle grounds.

o-o-o

Thursday morning meant a lot to Lotho. It only meant so much to him because his dear mother sent him a letter, informing him that she had just made a knitted vest, especially for him. Lotho would cherish that vest when he returned home. He knew he would…

Oh no. Frodo Baggins was headed his way. What did that indecent hobbit want from him?

But in Frodo’s mind, being in the middle of the Transfiguration Courtyard was the perfect spot to pull his prank on Lotho. It was one that Frodo, Fred and George concocted especially for this Slytherin hobbit boy:

“Lotho, Lotho! Did you hear? Today is Lotho Appreciation Day! A magnificent day in your honor, devoted entirely to you,” said Frodo, cheerful.

“I’ve never heard of Lotho Appreciation Day. What’s it about, besides it’s in my honor?” Wait! Lotho understood then, and gave a snooty grin. “At last, people understand how deserving I am.”

“Yes, why don’t you go around school all day long and tell people about it. I’m sure they’ll want to hear your most high-exalted hobbit what a glorious day it is for you,” said Frodo.

“This isn’t some prank,” said Lotho, suspicious.

Frodo shook his head. “No Lotho. This is your day. Make use of it what you will.”

“Well, in that case, let me through!” said Lotho, shoving Frodo out of the way.

Frodo shook his head for a moment, until he realized that Lotho fell for his prank. Brilliant! Wait until he told Fred and George the news! Frodo rushed off without saying another word to Lotho. It was better that he didn’t spoil the moment.

Lotho told his fellow classmates and older students, “Today is Lotho Appreciation Day! You’re celebrating me, you hear? Today is Lotho Appreciation Day! Today is…” And this mantra continued.

o-o-o

Frodo found Fred and George waiting for him in the first-floor corridor. The Weasley twins had a smirk on their faces. Somehow they knew the plan worked.

“Did he buy it?” asked Fred.

Frodo gave the twins a thumbs up.

Impressed, George told Fred, “See Fred? Frodo’s learning.”

“He’ll be as good as us in no time,” said Fred.

“Indeed,” said Frodo. “I wonder how long Lotho will buy this prank. He was suspicious when I told him it.”

“Oh, give it an hour, maybe two, and you’ll see our plan come to its conclusion,” said George.

“This’ll be a show-stopper prank. Didn’t you want to prank Lotho, Frodo? He’s been bullying you ever since you’ve arrived,” said Fred.

“Yeah, I did. This prank I can handle,” said Frodo.

It was only a matter of time before something snapped. Frodo hoped Fred and George’s prank was a success, but he didn’t know for how long until someone told Lotho the truth. Frodo hoped he would come up with a good comeback line or a speech.

o-o-o

“What’s this I hear about Lotho Appreciation Day, Goyle?” asked Malfoy, hoping to get a very good reason for Lotho’s mantra.

“How should I know?” asked Goyle.

Malfoy shook his head. Goyle wasn’t that smart. Malfoy turned to Crabbe. Maybe he would know what was going on. “What about you, Crabbe?”

“Well…” Crabbe scratched his head, trying to figure out what was going on. Did he miss lunch, or had it started yet? Maybe he missed it altogether. That wouldn’t be good.

Malfoy got his attention with a sharp cry, “Crabbe, you oaf! What day is it?”

“Monday?” asked Crabbe.

“No, you twit. It’s Thursday. I asked you about Lotho Appreciation Day,” said Malfoy.

“Never heard of it,” said Crabbe. “Does it have something to do with hating Potter?”

“I knew it. This ‘Lotho Appreciation Day’ doesn’t exist! But I’ll let that miserable oaf of a hobbit find out for himself,” said Malfoy, shooing the thought away with his hand. He told Crabbe and Goyle, in an effort to get out of the corridor before Lotho arrived, “Come on Crabbe, Goyle. Let’s find someone who’s less deserving. How about Granger or maybe Baggins…” He continued talking to his lackeys on as he walked down the fourth-floor corridor.

o-o-o

“I’m telling you, Lotho Appreciation Day exists! Why won’t any of you believe me? You miserable sods,” said Lotho, trying to force the students to celebrate this day.

However, the first year Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students gave him shrewd looks. Realizing they were in trouble, the Hufflepuff first year dragged his friend away from the scene.

Lotho called to them, not understanding why they were running, “Where are you going? Come back! Don’t you know it’s Lotho Appreciation Day!”

Frodo, Fred and George watched Lotho’s dismay in amusement. The trio leaned against a wall. Fred passed to Frodo a Bertie Botts’ Bean. When Frodo tried it, he nearly coughed it out. It was grass-flavor.

“Fred, did you have to give me a grass-flavor bean?” asked Frodo, looking up at the towering Weasley twin.

“Grass or not, you’ve earned it. We all do,” said George.

“This prank has been wicked so far!” said Fred.

“Should we tell him?” asked George.

“Tell me what?” asked Frodo.

“Not you, Frodo. Lotho,” said Fred, pointing an index finger at Lotho.

A smirk swept across Frodo’s face. It was time to tell the truth to the oaf of a hobbit. Nodding in agreement, Frodo led Fred and George over to Lotho. Frodo tapped an index finger on Lotho’s shoulder, startling him.

“Ahh!” yelped Lotho, shivering. Spinning around fast, Lotho found himself face-to-face with the last hobbit he wanted to meet. “Oh, it’s only you. Frodo Baggins, the last hobbit I’m so eager to see.” He asked the shorter hobbit boy, forcefully, “What’s wrong with this scene? Why won’t anyone believe me about Lotho Appreciation Day? You told me… wait a minute. Lotho Appreciation Day doesn’t exist.” His face flushed red in embarrassment, before boiling into fierce anger.

Frodo saluted him, a nervous glint in his eyes. He said, cheekily, “Now you’re catching on.”

It was Fred and George’s turn. Approaching the taller hobbit boy, George said to Lotho, “And as appreciation for our services.”

“Here is a one-of-a-kind gift to you,” said Fred, passing to Lotho a thin box. He grabbed George and Frodo, alerting them to flee the scene.

Lotho was stunned by their grand exit. Suspicious of what the trio concocted against him this time, Lotho examined the box. Nothing was popping out at him and there was no sign of postal damage. What exactly was in it? “Hm. I wonder what it is inside this very simple, not damaging box. I wonder if…” He opened the box…

_Splosh!_

“Plew! Oh horrid…” Lotho was swamped on. His clean green Hobbit uniform was now drenched in swamp bog and moss, all thanks to one of Fred and George’s boxes.

George said, cheerfully, from behind the wall, “And that is what Fred and I call our mini-swamp-in-a-box!”

“Enjoy Lotho,” said Fred. He and George darted off down the corridor.

All around him, students were laughing their heads off, pointing at Lotho and his mess. Distraught, Lotho told the students, “What are you all looking at? Don’t laugh at someone who’s far more superior to you!”

Approaching the hobbit boy, Malfoy teased him, “Well, well Lotho. You appear to be in a rut.”

“You’re my friend, Draco. Tell these blokes off for me!” said Lotho.

“You know, that swamp vapor looks good on you. You should wear it always. We’ll even give you a nickname: Mr. Swamps,” said Malfoy, cackling.

Crabbe and Goyle joined in, cracking up laughing and pointing their index fingers at Lotho. This was shocking to Lotho! Malfoy was his friend, wasn’t he?

Malfoy told his two lackeys, “Let’s go, boys. Leave this git to his swamp.” They walked away.

“You’re not going to help me? Who needs you ruts?!” shouted Lotho, not liking to be left to his misery. He told himself, “Frodo Baggins will pay for this.” Dropping the box, Lotho dashed through the corridors, searching for the Boys’ Lavatory. He would wash off the Weasley twins’ mini-swamp-in-a-box, and then Baggins would pay. Oh yes he would. How would Frodo pay? Well, Lotho would figure out something, something that would really affect the sorry prankster, like the swirly he pulled on Frodo at the start of the year…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh great. Lotho’s got a plan. What that plan is and whether Lotho is successful is coming up, but where and when I will not say.


	35. Authors and Authoresses' Chamber

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know we skipped a little ahead in time last chapter. Well, we’re skipping a little ahead in time with this chapter. And now we get to see the Authors and Authoresses’ Chamber as well. Also, three authoresses/fanfic writers, over on Fanfiction.net, make their appearances. I did ask them, and they gave me permission to put them in this story. And some suggestions for this chapter were given to me by LOTCR and DoctorWhovian18.

Friday afternoon came as soon as quickly as Frodo’s last class ended. He had History of Magic and, while the class was boring, thanks to his teacher Professor Binns, Frodo paid attention in class and wrote down all the notes he needed to help him pass his exams. When the class was finally let out, Frodo was the first one out.

The second he reached the Entrance Hall, Frodo was dragged into the Disused Classroom. Landing in a heap on the floor, Frodo pulled himself together, glaring at Lotho, who stood in the front of the door.

“Next time you prank me, Frodo Baggins, it’ll be your last!” said Lotho, pointing an index finger at him.

Before Frodo reached the door, Lotho slammed it shut and locked it. Frodo was trapped. He had a guess Lotho was getting back at him for what Frodo pulled on him yesterday. Hoping to get someone’s attention, Frodo shouted through the wood of the door:

“Get me out of here! Get me out! Someone help!”

“Frodo,” whispered a familiar masculine voice.

Turning around, Frodo saw from a hole in the wall Fred and George. The Weasley twins leapt down from the hole. Frodo, relieved to see them, advanced towards the two.

Frodo told them, “Lotho locked me in here. Probably to get back at me for the prank we pulled.”

“He’s gone to get Filch,” said George.

Fred whispered, gesturing to the hole on the wall, “This way, Frodo.”

No longer willing to stay in the disused classroom, Frodo followed Fred and George through the hole in the wall. Once they were inside, the Portrait of Iris Pius closed after them. A moment passed when the door to the Disused Classroom was opened by Mr. Filch, who examined the room. Lotho followed him, but to his surprise, saw no one in the classroom.

Filch told Lotho, frustrated and annoyed, “What sort of game are you playing? What kind of Slytherin are you?”

“I’m telling you, Frodo Baggins was in this room. His pesky prankster buddies, Fred and George Weasley, must have helped him escape,” explained Lotho, telling the truth and making a right good guess that he didn’t know was true.

Filch paused. He said, in a serious voice, “I don’t know what sort of trouble is going on here, but I’m sure I will find out.” He shooed Lotho out of the classroom. “Now GET OUT WITH YAH! No one uses this classroom and I have yet to see it used. THIS IS NOT FOR PLAY!”

“But sir-” But Lotho was kicked out of the classroom. Completely out of his wits, and not wanting to get into trouble, Lotho scampered away from the Disused Classroom.

Mr. Filch gladly locked the door to the classroom. He then slunk off into another part of the castle.

Sighing in relief, Fred and George led Frodo through the secret passageways until they reached the second-floor corridor, right next to the library. Harry, Ron and Hermione talked amongst themselves when Frodo climbed down from the hole. Fred and George waved to Frodo.

“We’ll see you around, Frodo,” said George.

“Whenever you need to prank someone,” said Fred.

“You too,” said Frodo, waving back.

Once the portrait closed, and the second-floor corridor had very few students, Frodo joined in Harry, Ron and Hermione’s conversation. Hermione was curious about where Frodo had been:

“Where have you been?” asked Hermione.

“Lotho locked me in the Disused Classroom, and then went to get Filch. Luckily, Fred and George helped me escape before Filch arrived,” said Frodo.

“That Lotho is a piece of work,” said Harry.

“Yeah, I thought yesterday’s prank that you, Fred and George set on Lotho would sway the git to leave you alone,” said Ron to Frodo, determined to sock Lotho. “Guess we know he can do real damage.”

“Yeah, I know,” said Frodo, shyly. He remembered the swirly Lotho set on him at the beginning of the year. “Why are you three out here?”

“We were going to tell you. We found out who Nicholas Flamel is,” said Hermione. “He’s the noted alchemist who made the Sorcerer’s Stone*.”

“What’s that? And congratulations. Where did you find him? How?” asked Frodo.

“It was on the Wizard Card of Dumbledore that I got at the beginning of the year,” said Harry. “It said Nicholas Flamel worked with Dumbledore.”

Hermione whispered, “And that’s what I think Fluffy is guarding on the third-floor corridor.”

“Who’s Fluffy? You don’t mean that three-headed dog guarding that trapdoor,” said Frodo, realizing what dog the trio were referring to.

“That’s the one,” said Hermione, still whispering.

Frodo was stunned by all this news. The evidence added up. “Of course, anyone would take the Stone. No wonder its being guarded by Fluffy.”

“That’s what we thought,” said Harry. “I still think it’s Snape that’s going after the Stone. The question that remains is when will he go after it?”

“You know I’m going to the Forbidden Corridor with you, Harry, Ron, Hermione,” said Frodo, whispering back.

Ron nodded.

Harry asked Frodo, “Then you understand that we don’t know what’s down there yet.”

“Then that needs to be something we need to uncover,” said Frodo. “Give me updates wherever you can find them.”

Hermione stopped Frodo, asking him, “Where are you going?”

Frodo told her, Ron and Harry, “To find the Authors and Authoresses’ Chamber.”

“The what?” asked Harry and Ron, staring at him in confusion.

Hermione explained, “It’s the chamber where authors and authoresses, who are assigned to a certain hobbit, go and study on how to better their writing. They also log events that have occurred for any hobbits they write about. It’s like their bibliography.”

“Oh, I’m glad we know about this chamber now,” said Ron.

“I’ll see you later,” said Frodo, taking his leave.

o-o-o

Finding his way to the Tapestry Corridor, Frodo stopped when he saw the Portrait of Gunther the Violent. Realizing this was the portrait he had been looking for, Frodo approached it. At first, the Portrait of Gunther the Violent spoke in German.

Having trouble understanding the man in the portrait, Frodo asked him, “What was that?”

Gunther the Violent tried again, rudely, “What? WHAT! Get away from my portrait, student! I don’t deal with first years.”

“Why?” asked Frodo.

“Don’t be cheeky with me. Get away!” asked Gunther the Violent.

Frodo had an idea. “Well, unless you want me to send a Gryffindor your way…”

“What? WHAT! How dare you! You sir are a waste of my time. Step through and don’t bother me again,” said Gunther the Violent.

“But then I would have to bother you, if I want to come this way again,” said Frodo.

“Cheeky hobbits,” said Gunther the Violent. He then turned his portrait inwards, revealing a hidden passage behind the wall.

Moving fast, Frodo rushed inside the narrow stone passageway. The Portrait of Gunther the Violent closed behind him. Following the portrait to its end, Frodo came out into a grand chamber, lit with large braziers. This part of the castle certainly was ancient, yet it was well-kept.

There were some students wandering through this chamber, decked in robes of red, green, yellow and blue. The boys wore dress shirts according to house and grey trousers, while the girls wore dress blouses according to house and grey skirts. They all wore robes that matched their houses. Frodo wondered if these students, these authors and authoresses, were assigned specifically to a certain hobbit according to their desired houses. He would get his answer soon enough.

Entering the grander part of the chamber, Frodo looked about him. It certainly looked like a massive common room, complete with a library at the end of the chamber and tall, wide, arched windows above the bookcases. Cushioned chairs and couches lounged towards the bottom of the main room. Tables and coffee tables were also strewn in front, as well as next to, the couches and chairs. Two grand stone fireplaces were embedded along the walls on opposing ends, with the Hogwarts emblem emboldened into the wall above the hearth. Frodo found this particular common room inviting, just as the Ravenclaw Common Room was warm and welcoming; only this common room wasn’t as airy as the Ravenclaw Common Room. Frodo felt like he was being shut up in some claustrophobic room, for a few moments.

When he found Aria at last, he approached her. To Frodo’s dismay, chatting with Aria were three authoresses. While he didn’t mind the ‘author’ part, it was the fact that they were girls that drove him mad. Why did there have to be so many girls?

When one of the authoresses, donned in red robes, got Aria’s attention, Aria turned to Frodo and said, with surprise in her voice, “Frodo! What a surprise!”

“Weren’t you expecting me, Aria?” asked Frodo. He spoke too soon.

Two of the authoresses – they, plus all of the students present in this chamber were between the ages of eleven and twelve – squealed, giddily, _“It’s Frodo Baggins! It’s Frodo Baggins!”_

Frodo rubbed his left ear, in an effort to prevent the ringing his ears nearly took. Moving his hand away from his ear, Frodo asked the girls, politely, “Who are you?”

The same two authoresses were at a loss for words for a moment. However, the third authoress introduced herself, kindly, “Well, if Aria’s told you about pen names, mine is ValueMyHeart, but you can call me Anne. I’m into anime and manga.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what those are,” said Frodo.

“Oh,” said Anne. She explained, “Well, they’re animation, but some are more geared towards adults, while others are geared towards our generation. Also, my favorite Pirates of the Caribbean pirate is Jack Sparrow.”

“Who’s he?” asked Frodo, bluntly.

“See? I knew he wouldn’t understand,” said Aria to Anne.

“Aria, you didn’t tell me you had other friends,” said Frodo.

“I didn’t start talking to these girls until now,” admitted Aria. “I didn’t realize they were fangirls, too.”

“Well, I’m just getting back into ‘The Lord of the Rings’,” admitted Anne. “Hogwarts I’ve known about and am familiar with, up until this chamber.”

Frodo turned to the two silent authoresses. He asked them, politely, “And what about you two? You’ve fallen silent.”

The first authoress, wearing red robes, spoke at once, preventing the second silent authoress from speaking, “I’m DoctorWhovian – I mean, my name is Amy Collins.” Collecting herself, Amy told him, “So, you go to school here? How do you like it? I understand it must be different from the Shire. How’s your Uncle Bilbo?”

The second authoress broke her silence. She told Frodo, introducing herself, “And I’m LOTCR, but I like to be called Abigail. Itissonicetomeetyou,FrodoBaggins.Ihavebeenlookingforwardtothismomentallmylife. Ican’ttellyouhowpleasedIamtomeetyou.I’mthrilled,butbackhomeyouaren’trealanditwouldbeweirdfor everyonetoknowyouexist…Iamjustsothrilledtomeetyou.”

Frodo did his best to understand what Abigail was telling him. The only thing he replied to her was, “Eh… hi Abigail. It’s a pleasure to meet you, too.” He extended a hand to her.

However, Abigail lunged at him, embracing Frodo as tightly as she could. Aria was taken aback by this, but did nothing about the situation. Amy only giggled, watching Frodo’s reactions in a fangirlish way. Only Amy seemed to respect what was happening and did not go into a group hug, unless Frodo asked for it. Anne, on the other hand, did her best to pull Abigail off of Frodo.

“Okay, Abigail, I think Frodo’s had enough,” said Anne.

However, Abigail didn’t respond. And Aria thought she was the only one who didn’t understand things.

Aria did her best to convince Abigail to get off Frodo, but Aria found herself stumbling on her own words. “Okay Abigail, I think it’s time that Frodo got some air now. We don’t want to hurt him, do we?”

“No,” said Abigail. Realizing what she was doing, Abigail released Frodo.

Taking in a few harsh breaths, Frodo stretched out his back and his shoulders. He told Abigail, promptly, “I think you hugged me too hard.”

Both Abigail and Amy went rigid at the sound of Frodo’s voice. Aria felt herself go rigid, but it was more silent. Anne shook her head at the display.

Deciding to leave the conversation, Anne told the others, “Right. I’m going to find SweetDarkSilence. I’ll see you later, Aria.”

“Yeah, see you. And thanks for the pep talk,” said Aria, waving to her.

Anne approached the authoress SweetDarkSilence, a girl with dark hair. From there, the two spoke about manga and anime more than anything.

Now it was just Frodo and the other three A girls. Well, at least Aria wasn’t as bad, but then Frodo was a bit unsure about Amy and Abigail.

Frodo asked Amy and Abigail, “I see you’re in Gryffindor. Who are you authoring? Hobbits, I mean?”

“Huh?” asked Abigail, not understanding the questions.

Amy stepped in. “Well, I’m assigned to Pippin Took. Abigail’s assigned to Merry Brandybuck. Abigail and I make quite the team. Merry and Pippin don’t mind us.”

“I make sure to keep Merry and Pippin in line,” said Abigail.

Amy asked Frodo and Aria, curious, “So, Frodo, Aria’s assigned to you? That must be nice having a fangirl by your side. But then, Abigail and I are your fans, too. So, what’s it like in the Shire? Is it everything found in J.R.R. Tolkien’s book trilogy?”

“Is that where I’m in?” asked Frodo.

Abigail asked, twiddling her fingers and grinning mischievously, “So you don’t know anything about J.R.R. Tolkien or his book series?”

“No,” said Frodo, growing worried.

“Great!” shouted Abigail, a bit too loudly.

“Abigail, I think you need to mind your place,” said Aria, directly to Abigail. “Frodo’s a shy hobbit and if you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, no I don’t know if letting Frodo see The Lord of the Rings trilogy will change anything.”

“Aria!” cried Amy and Abigail, concern sweeping across their faces like lightning. This was the last thing they wanted to tell Frodo.

“Well…” Aria stared shyly at the two authoresses, not knowing what to do.

Frodo inquired, asking Aria, “Well, why don’t you show me the book trilogy, and we’ll go from there.” He stopped Abigail from protesting, “I just want to see what happens. That’s all.”

Aria told Frodo, “I’ll show you my book when we get back to the Ravenclaw Common Room. All right?”

“That works,” said Frodo.

“No! Listen, this is not a good idea,” complained Abigail.

Amy agreed, but in a little mature voice, “Abigail has a point.” She whispered to Aria, “What if Frodo throws off the balance in the future?”

Aria wasn’t listening to either of them. She gave them both a confused, stern glare. “Throw the balance off in the future? I think Frodo can handle himself.”

“Don’t speak so loudly,” said Amy, covering Aria’s mouth with her hand. She told Frodo, trying to make sure nothing was affected, “We’re sorry, but Aria needs to understand a few things.”

Frodo stopped Amy, “Stop! Let her speak.”

Amy removed her hand off of Aria’s mouth. Aria sputtered, due to this, the grime and dirt not helping her once clean mouth. Wiping a sleeve over her mouth, Aria fell silent for a moment.

Then Aria knew what to say, “Well, what’s it hurt to have Frodo look at the book trilogy?”

“Well, I think it’d be safer if you want, to show him The Hobbit, Bilbo’s book, first. You don’t have to show him The Lord of the Rings,” said Abigail, minding her place.

Frodo told Aria, “Whatever you want to do is fine with me.”

Aria stared at everyone. So it was up to her now. She didn’t like being put on the spotlight. Still, maybe it was better not to show Frodo _The Lord of the Rings_ until a more appropriate time… maybe when his quest was finished. It made no sense showing him _The Lord of the Rings_ now, given his parents were still alive.

Aria only told Frodo, “I’ll show you later.”

“We can look now, if you want,” said Frodo. As he and Aria headed out, Frodo told Amy and Abigail, “It was nice meeting you both.”

Amy said in reply, “It was good to meet you, too.” She was already feeling a little more in control of her being, but the fangirl moment was still there.

In haste, Aria led Frodo through another corridor and up a grand flight of spiral stairs. When they at last came to the top, Aria opened the door. They had returned to the Ravenclaw Common Room without having to use the bronze eagle knocker and answer its riddle. Frodo was impressed, but stunned.

Frodo asked Aria, “We’re back in the Ravenclaw Common Room. How did we do that?”

“Authors and Authoresses have their own way of traversing through the castle,” said Aria, casually. She disappeared up the stairs to the Girls’ Dormitory. Minutes passed until she returned with a green paperback book. It was _The Hobbit_. She passed it to Frodo, telling him, “This is my copy. I’d like it back.”

Frodo flipped to the back and read the summary. His gaze fell on Aria with amazement. “This is Bilbo’s story. All the tales he told me. They’re right here.”

Aria tried to take the book back. “I don’t think you should read it…”

Frodo moved the book away from her hands. “But I’m holding Bilbo’s book.”

“Frodo, I don’t want to risk changing anything,” said Aria, serious.

“What will you change?” asked Frodo. “Aria, I’m going to read this book, see if the author even came close to what Bilbo’s stories are like. That’s all I’m interested in. Why would you stop me?”

Aria stopped herself. Frodo did have a point, but she knew she would regret this. Sighing in defeat, but understanding, Aria nodded to him. “Okay. But I’d like it back.”

“I’m good with bringing books back that I’ve loaned. I’ll get started reading it today,” said Frodo. He darted off into the Boys’ Dormitory.

Alone in the dorm, Frodo settled down on his bed, Aria’s book in hand. Taking a deep breath, not knowing what would happen, Frodo opened the book to the first chapter. And so it began…

_In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know this is nerve-racking to many fans. Well, when writing the last page or so of this chapter, it was getting nerve-racking, too. So, what do you think? Will anything change, or will Frodo’s life remain the same, now that he’s reading Bilbo’s book, written by J.R.R. Tolkien? And yes, I know there are a lot of fans sticking close to the books, but this is an Alternate Universe, so things will change.
> 
> Footnotes:
> 
> *The Sorcerer’s Stone, the first Harry Potter book, is what the American edition is called. I understand the Philosopher’s Stone is used everywhere else. I’m just more used to Sorcerer’s Stone, so I’m sticking with that version.


	36. Folco Boffin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ideas for this chapter came from DoctorWhovian18, as well as Frodo and his friends. Also, I know I was going to put another of Frodo’s friends for the next story, but after looking through when this next hobbit was born, I figured I might as well bring all of Frodo’s friends into this first story of the series.

The third day of Frodo’s reading _The Hobbit_ had come to its close. True, he was two pages away from finishing the chapter ‘Queer Lodgings’, yet Frodo viewed the book with a critical mind. Bilbo’s tales and the story J.R.R. Tolkien had wrote about Bilbo’s adventures were pretty accurate. One thought Frodo had made all the difference: what if J.R.R. Tolkien knew about Middle-earth, or even his and Bilbo’s lives, recording all the events later on in their lives? No, that was rubbish. This author, J.R.R. Tolkien, wouldn’t have tagged alongside Bilbo… could he?

His eyelids drooped, making it hard for Frodo to finish reading. Finding he could not finish the chapter, Frodo placed a parchment bookmark, which he folded and tore out of his composite journal to use as a bookmark, and set the book on his bedside dresser. After he changed into his night clothes, Frodo pulled back the covers and crawled into bed. Settling in, Frodo’s mind drifted into a sea of darkness. Eventually, he fell into deep sleep, his mind finding its way into a vivid, colorful dream, mainly focused on the cool colors of summer. This dream was so vivid, he remembered everything:

_Frodo was sitting inside the grand smial Brandy Hall, with many of his Brandybuck relatives. It was a family gathering, one that Frodo felt exhilarated just being there. And yet there was this loneliness that wouldn’t go away. But Frodo loved being with the Brandybucks. They were more used to the dangers of the Old Forest, as opposed to his Baggins relatives… not that he didn’t mind being around Bilbo, of course. Bilbo he could always talk to whenever he needed a comforting hand._

_At last, Frodo saw his parents! Wait… why were they stepping outside the smial? He followed them, eager to see where they were headed. After a fierce jog, Frodo made it to the Brandywine River. The river looked so wide and vast, the waves splashing his feet in a rather harsh manner. Frodo’s gaze fell on a boat, out in the middle of the river. Was that his parents?_

_“Hey Mama! Papa! Over here!” Frodo called._

_Frodo’s parents waved, excited to see him. His mother gestured with an arm, signaling him to join them. Frodo wanted to but found he couldn’t reach them. Then everything happened so fast: the boat flipped over and his parents fell into the river. The waters swallowed them up. Frodo finally broke free of the trance he entered, splashing in the water to search for his parents._

_“Turn around,” Frodo’s mind told him._

_Spinning around, Frodo witnessed his parents being pulled onto shore. However, Frodo was now caught in the water. He was pulled down by thin, elegant fingers. Frodo stretched his arm towards his mother, knowing he was unable to reach her. In an instant, he inhaled the surface air, before descending into a watery landscape. Frodo watched as the world above, the sun’s light casting its rays on the ever distant surface, drew further and further away. He struggled to break free, but found he could not._

_Frodo could feel his life draining from his body. This was the end… he knew it… was that a woman with a fish tail…_

Frodo gasped, his eyelids opening rapidly. _The Hobbit_ book disappeared. Where… in his moment of distress, Frodo’s eyes glanced over at his dresser, where the book rested next to his comb. Sighing in relief, Frodo’s thoughts now turned to the main events of his recent dream: he was spending time with his relatives when his parents went outside Brandy Hall to… to go boating. What they were doing out there, Frodo had no idea. All he knew was the next occurrence happened to be his parents’ deaths. While this particular dream was not the first of its kind – Frodo had been dreaming about his parents for months now – he suspected something would happen to them in the near future.

Frodo’s dreams weren’t usually wrong, not by a long way. Several dreams, in fact, led him to his friend, who he met in the Shire: Folco Boffin. Folco, like Frodo, had a knack for trouble, but Folco could play it so brilliantly there was no questioning his unique set of skills. However, Folco exceeded only because Frodo let him, but even then Frodo proved superior. Folco just had a way with words.* Now that Frodo’s thoughts drew to his friend Folco, Frodo wondered where he was and what if…

Footsteps trod softly against the wood of the dormitory. Moving to an upright position, if only for a moment, lo and behold! to Frodo’s surprise, Folco Boffin was in the hobbits’ side of the Ravenclaw Boys’ Dormitory. But where were Frodo’s other four roommates? Frodo had gotten to know them, but only so little. Yet his roommates were always present, and loaded him with more stories about their worlds than even he realized.

As for Folco, his physique was similar to Merry, right down to the facial features. Yet Folco was more closely associated in relation to Bilbo and Lotho than to Merry; they were more distant cousins by a long shot, same with Folco and Frodo. Folco was still a boy in many ways, yet he was talented; Frodo was too, in his own right, only Frodo didn’t announce it as his friends did. But what Folco was doing in Frodo’s dormitory remained in question; the next Frodo saw of Folco was him going over to his trunk and opening it on the bed, which stood right next to Frodo’s bed.

Making sure Folco heard him Frodo sat up on the mattress. Folco turned, beaming a smile that only Folco knew how to achieve. “Frodo, how goes things? I hope it stays dry outside, but you never can tell with this weather. How did you sleep?”

The first question Frodo asked Folco was, “When did you arrive?”

“That’s a good question,” said Folco. “You see, the Sorting Hat put me on standstill since we came here. You haven’t seen me. I’ve been hanging around the Authors and Authoresses’ Chamber for months now, as well as wandering the castle. I had no house until December, when I was finally sorted into Ravenclaw. However, I see your roommates have all vanished.”

“They didn’t come back,” said Frodo, frowning. Where were they? “What happened to them? They were here yesterday… now they’re gone.”

“Well, I know the whole story. Dumbledore told me your old roommates’ parents didn’t want them learning at this school. Nearly every world is cut off now, except for Middle-earth and this present Earth. I hope they open the portals again, so we gain access to the other worlds,” said Folco. “Oh well for now, right?”

“Yeah,” said Frodo. At least he knew someone was in his house. But then, this was odd. Why would the other worlds be cut off from this one, except Middle-earth and present-day Earth? “So, you have a schedule, right? You don’t have to catch up on class work or anything, do you?”

Folco grinned. “Frodo, I am caught up on my classes. I am a Half-blood – my father’s a wizard and my mother’s a muggle. Hardly anyone knew what to do with me, that’s all. It’s no big deal now, is it?”

“No, it’s not,” said Frodo, feeling some happiness sink inside him. Getting out of bed, and while he changed into a clean blue Hobbit uniform, Frodo explained to Folco, “I’ve met this girl, my authoress – you know what authoresses are, right?”

“Frodo, I have an authoress and she’s now a Ravenclaw, too,” admitted Folco. He asked, curious, “Why do you ask?”

Frodo shrugged. “No reason.”

Folco knew the guilty look Frodo gave, which always gave him away. “Frodo, we’re twelve years old. Save that adult stuff for later.”

“It’s not like that. This girl, Aria is her name – well, she’s a Ravenclaw, too, and we’ve agreed to be friends,” said Frodo.

“Frodo, don’t you know our authors are assigned to us if they get the same house as we do? It’s part of this castle’s system,” said Folco.

“That’s what Aria told me,” said Frodo. He gave a small grin to let Folco know things were better.

Folco admitted, “I’m glad you’ve made a new friend.”

“Me too, even if she is a girl,” said Frodo. “And now, I have you as a roommate. This day is going to be good. I know it.”

“I wouldn’t tempt fate, but yeah,” said Folco.

“Oh lighten up, Folco. I’ve been down the moody lane when I first arrived here, and I’ll tell you it wasn’t worth it,” said Frodo, explaining his experience.

Folco nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind, Frodo.” After situating his blue rose-design vest with the Ravenclaw emblem, before placing his blue jacket over his vest, Folco asked, “Say, do you want to head down to the Great Hall? I’m starving.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” said Frodo. “But first, I need to introduce you to Aria.”

Folco shrugged. He didn’t mind meeting Frodo’s new friend. “Sure. Whatever works for you, Frodo, works for me.”

“Great,” said Frodo. There he went again, going on about a girl he liked… well… nah, it was better this way. He and Aria were friends, right? Nothing was going to change their relation – eh, friendship.

As soon as Frodo and Folco were ready to start the day, the two hobbit boys left the Boys’ Dormitory, climbed down the stone stair and entered the Ravenclaw Common Room. There, Frodo found Aria staring at the notice board, like she did every morning. Dragging Folco over to the notice board, Frodo grabbed Aria’s shoulder, startling her and causing her to whip around fast in front of him.

Aria had the look of a wild animal in her eyes.

Hoping to calm her, Frodo spoke, gently, “Calm down, Aria. I came over to introduce you to my friend, Folco Boffin. And Folco, this is Aria Breuer, the girl I told you about.”

Folco said to Aria, teasing her a bit, “Ah. Frodo’s lucky lady has come to light! My you are looking splendid.”

Aria was a bit taken aback by this teasing, “I got this from Merry and Pippin, the teasing.”

Folco addressed her, calmly, “No, I was just complimenting you.”

Frodo admitted to Aria, “Folco has a way with words.”

“Like yourself,” said Aria, directly to him.

“Well… I suppose it does tend to roll off the tongue,” said Frodo.

Aria grunted, but said nothing to this comment.

Folco ended their conversation, “Well, mind if we head down to the Great Hall. I’m starving and I’m still new to the Ravenclaw Tower.”

Aria beamed. “So you’re a new student?”

Folco corrected her. “Eh, no, not exactly; I was at a standstill at the sorting. I could still attend classes; I just couldn’t be anywhere near the other students or their dormitory. Now, I can.” He gave Aria his signature smile.

Frodo caught his friend in the act. “All right, Folco. Give Aria time to adjust to your habits.”

“Well, it’s my way of introducing your friend to our lot,” said Folco.

“And wait until you meet my other friends. I’m sure they’ll look forward to meeting you,” said Frodo, his voice echoing along the nearby walls.

Leaving the Ravenclaw Common Room past the front door to the spiral staircase, Frodo led his two friends from Ravenclaw – Folco and Aria – down the stone stairs and through the seventh-floor corridor. Neither of the three wanted to miss breakfast. At least there, in the Great Hall, things would turn out for the better, or so Frodo hoped. Already, things were looking up for him. He did not want to see these happy moments leave, no matter the circumstance.

o-o-o

Entering the Great Hall, the first hobbit Frodo dragged Folco over to, while Aria went to search for an empty spot for them at the Ravenclaw table, was Samwise Gamgee. Sam was in the middle of a conversation with Anne, or ValueMyHeart, who, same as when Frodo first met her, was donned in yellow robes. Folco wanted to smooth talk this authoress, just to show off.

“So you must be this fine young hobbit’s authoress,” said Folco. He said, smoothly, “I’m sure I know some bubble wrap that hasn’t been used in a while. Why don’t we pop some bubbles?”

“No thanks,” said Anne, giggling a little.

Frodo asked Anne, “So, you’re Sam’s Authoress? I knew you were a Hufflepuff, but I didn’t think…”

“It is okay, Frodo,” said Anne, cheerful towards him. “But you might want to tell your friend to work on his smooth talk.”

“I AM working on it!” complained Folco.

Anne ignored Folco, telling Frodo, “I’ll see you later.” She faced Sam, reminding him, “We’re meeting in the library after class today, right?”

“Yes, Miss Anne. That would be great,” said Sam.

“Good.” Anne told Frodo and Sam, “I’ll see you two around. Sam, I’ll see you later today. Goodbye, Folco. It was nice meeting you.” She turned and left the Great Hall.

Sam gave Folco a glare as well. “That was very rude, sir.”

“May I ask your name?” asked Folco.

“I’m Samwise Gamgee, Sam for short, an’ don’t you be forgettin’,” said Sam.

“As if I could ever forget Frodo’s friends,” said Folco, cheekily. “I’m Folco, by the way. Folco Boffin.”

“I see you’ve picked up Frodo’s antics,” said Sam.

Frodo chuckled at that. He told Folco, politely, “Come on. Let’s meet my other friends at the Gryffindor table.” Frodo said to Sam, cheery, “I’ll see you in class.”

“Good luck, Mr. Frodo,” said Sam, returning to reading his article. The words flew off the page, allowing him to see vivid images of the events that took place when the newspaper was written. He couldn’t stop reading, as if the article took a life all its own, the further he read.

Frodo, in the meantime, introduced Folco to the rest of his friends. As it happened, Merry, Pippin, Fredegar, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George all sat at the Gryffindor table that morning, ready to start the day. Frodo got their attentions as he approached them.

He went into the same spiel, “I’d like to introduce you to Folco Boffin,” and received different responses, mainly aimed towards Folco than Frodo:

Merry and Pippin were fortunate to meet Frodo’s new/old friend from the Shire. The two scoundrels couldn’t wait to try a few pranks on him. Pippin eagerly said, “Do you know how to impress my sisters, Folco? Pimpernel seems a bit off today.”

“Anything for you Pippin,” said Folco.

“I don’t have siblings. So I can’t help you there. But Pippin and I welcome you to our group,” said Merry, grateful that Frodo found another friend; although, he did find it odd of Pippin to concern himself with his older sisters.

Pippin said nothing, feeling embarrassed upon asking the question.

Fredegar had a few things to say to Folco, and none of them were good. “I’ll tell you, if you get into the same kind of mischief that Frodo’s gotten himself into, I’ll make sure to tell Professor McGonagall on you.”

At which Folco told him, cheekily, “But Professor McGonagall isn’t the Head of Ravenclaw House.”

Fredegar fell silent, but kept glaring at Folco. Indeed, Fredegar believed that Frodo met another mischief maker. There were too many mischief makers Frodo had and not enough civilized people and hobbits, or so Fredegar thought.

As for Harry and his friends, they had their own speeches and questions to ask Folco:

Harry was kind to Folco. He didn’t want the hobbit boy to feel left out, as he had seen from Frodo. So he gladly said, in a welcoming voice, “Welcome Folco. I hope you know some good spells or how to get through Potions class.” At which Folco explained the many uses he could concoct a potion.

“You wouldn’t know any good pranks, Folco?” asked Fred and George together, at which Folco explained his pranks that he pulled on Lobelia Sackville-Baggins. The Weasley twins welcomed Folco, at that, to their group of friends.

Ron had a few things to say to Folco, warning him not to get into Fred and George’s mischief. Folco gladly corrected him. “Ronald Bilius Weasley, why would I ever get into your brothers’ habits?” He gave a cheeky look, at which Ron said nothing.

Hermione always knew what to say, but she was pleased and very curious about Frodo’s new friend. That is until Folco did his best to smooth talk her, too. But Hermione was quick to respond with an intelligent question:

“Can you make a Forgetfulness Potion, Folco?” asked Hermione.

Folco knew what to say, smoothly, “Only if I forget what happened here today. But in this case, I won’t make one myself for that specific reason.” He gave his cheeky smile.

Hermione told Frodo, after Folco searched for the Ravenclaw table and found it, “He’s quite a character, this Folco Boffin.”

“Yeah, but his heart is in the right place. I think he’s trying to outdo me, and let me tell you, it’s not working out so well for him,” said Frodo.

Hermione gave him some advice. “Well next time, Frodo, do tell your friend that he cannot smooth-talk his way through every class.”

Frodo chuckled. “You can relax, Hermione. I think I know my friend Folco well enough. He doesn’t have any tricks up his sleeve that we wouldn’t know anything about.” But after saying this, Frodo’s gaze fell on Lotho, who was giving him a cool, knowing expression. Frodo gulped. Lotho was clearly up to something, and Frodo had a feeling it involved getting Folco into trouble.

o-o-o

At the Gryffindor table, around the same time Frodo and Folco walked away to approach Merry and Pippin, Abigail, or LOTCR, and Amy, or DoctorWhovian18, dug into their breakfast. The two authoresses, upon meeting Folco, had different reactions. Abigail felt the need to explore and see what Folco could do. Amy, on the other hand, was very offended by Folco’s smooth talking. She didn’t like it, but knew Folco could improve if given the chance. It was while she and Abigail ate breakfast, moments after Frodo introduced Folco to Fatty Bolger, that Amy had a plan, which she thought Abigail might consider doing.

“Abigail, I just had a thought, if you’re with me. You don’t have to do it, but it’s something to consider. What if we start a prank war with Merry and Pippin? We’d have to ask them, of course, but I think it will be fun, see what our fellow Gryffindors pull up their sleeves,” said Amy, whispering to her friend.

Abigail nodded in approval. Already, ideas were turning in her head. “As long as Merry doesn’t get hurt, that’s what counts.”

Amy whispered in Abigail’s ear, causing Abigail to do the same. Great, now they could begin a prank war. Where it began, who knew; all the two authoresses knew was there needed to be some fun. Besides, Amy wanted there to be no conflict, as it should be. Abigail was more concerned about keeping Merry safe from any harm, whatsoever. Still, Amy admitted it was a brilliant plan, one she considered right in her eyes. They were at Hogwarts after all. What could be more fun than a prank war? The question that remained was whether Amy and Abigail should tell Merry and Pippin their plan, if at all possible. Maybe the two hobbits needed a surprise.

Anticipation grew as the two authoresses left the Great Hall. It was time to start the prank war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Footnotes:
> 
> *The idea on who Folco Boffin is actually was closely inspired by Fanfiction.net author dreamflower02’s story _A Summer’s Day Rumble_. Go check it out because this is really my first introduction to Folco, since The Lord of the Rings book trilogy, but even there we don’t see much of Folco.


	37. Water Balloons Everywhere

That Monday afternoon, as Merry, Pippin and Folco wandered down the fifth-floor corridor, the three hobbit boys were bombarded by water balloons, which rained down from the ceiling. How the water balloons made it on the ceiling was beyond count, but the three hobbit boys did their best to evade them, at least until they were pelted by a couple more water balloons. Merry, finding the source of the water balloons, pointed out to Pippin and Folco the culprit and her accomplice. It turned out the culprits were Merry and Pippin’s Authoresses, Amy Collins/DoctorWhovian18 and Abigail/LOTCR.

Amy cheered in victory, laughing at the sight of Merry, Pippin and Folco drenched. She told the three hobbits, curtly, “Maybe next time, watch what you say or do to girls before you prank them.”

Pippin grinned mischievously, “Ohhh. So that’s how we play, is it Amy?” As he caught a falling water balloon, Pippin threw it at Amy in a playful manner. He raised his hands in victory as one smacked Amy right on the chest, drenching her school stuff.

Amy was distressed. She really liked this outfit. Now, she had to get the water stains out of her blouse, her hair… oh, she hoped her make-up wasn’t wet. She checked herself over and over again, grateful nothing else was wet, but she felt miserable.

Abigail was also distressed. Realizing what she had done, Abigail rushed up to Merry and did her best to make sure he was all right, checking and re-checking his clothes and such. Merry did not like this girl fussing whatsoever. This was too much for Folco, who was laughing at the four. Pippin, on the other hand, came after Amy with a few more pelting water balloons. He was really enjoying himself. Pippin was reminded all too well of his girly sisters, thanks to Amy, so he knew the territory and wasn’t afraid of her.

Merry stopped Abigail from more fussing, “I said I’m fine, Abigail! No more fussing, please!”

“I just want to make sure you weren’t hurt by those-” Abigail was cut off by a water balloon, which smacked her across her back. She felt cold and wet.

However, Abigail’s shocked reaction was enough to set Merry into a laughing fit. At least now he wasn’t the only one getting drenched; so was his authoress. Grabbing a falling water balloon, Merry nearly thought of attacking Abigail with it. Abigail saw this action and pretended to be afraid.

“Oh Merry! Please don’t-” Abigail ran away from Merry, hiding behind Folco.

Seizing the moment, Merry pelted Folco with a water balloon. Folco was not expecting this reaction from his new friend. Folco said, rather too pompous, “Okay, speaking as a carefree hobbit, I’m-” Folco was smacked in the leg by Pippin’s water balloon. Abigail backed away a bit, but couldn’t help laughing her head off. Folco grinned mischievously at both hobbits. “Oh, so this is how we’re playing. Well then…” Catching a falling water balloon, Folco threw it at Pippin, hitting the hobbit on the left hip.

A water balloon fight broke out then and there. And while Amy and Abigail managed to hit their targets, Merry and Pippin proved to be just as fast. They were impressed with the two authoresses’ agility, but there were instances when the two girls made mistakes, leaving themselves open for Merry and Pippin to smack them with water balloons. Folco was just as fast. Since Merry and Pippin were too distracted by the two girls, Folco took this advantage to smack the four at random moments. However, Folco always ended up pelted by water balloons due to this action.

However, their loud noise caused a ruckus that led Mr. Filch to the fifth-floor corridor. His sudden outburst in the fifth-floor landing stopped the five children all at once. Filch was coming! “What’s going on here?”

“Quick!” cried Merry, grabbing Pippin and Abigail, in an effort to make them flee.

Amy and Folco followed, hoping that Filch wouldn’t catch them or their friends. The water balloons were now their obstacles, something that neither Amy nor Abigail wanted to happen. But the water balloons were far from their minds now, as the three hobbit boys and the two authoresses sprinted down the corridor, their hearts racing. Amy certainly did not want to get caught, but then neither did Abigail. Both girls knew what trouble looked like and if they were caught, the girls would surely hear it from their parents and that would not be good. Merry and Pippin knew a thing or two about getting into trouble, but being caught by Filch was something they did not want at all. Folco, in the meantime, only was concerned about himself and if he was caught, his reputation would be at stake and that wouldn’t be good for anyone, let alone himself. He wanted to impress others, but at the same time did anyone care what happened to him?

Still, Folco proved useful. Finding the stairs leading to the grounds, Folco told his new friends, “This way.”

When the five friends at last were on the grounds, and away from Filch, they burst into laughter. Only Folco let out calm laughs. It didn’t feel right avoiding Filch like that, when they were the ones horsing around. Yet he wondered if the two girls would face their punishment.

Folco asked Amy and Abigail, “Aren’t you going to go back and help Filch with those water balloons? Don’t you think you deserve punishment?”

“Are you kidding?” asked Abigail, whining a little. She didn’t want to face Filch, let alone clean up all that water and the water balloons.

“Lighten up, Folco. We were having fun, weren’t we?” asked Amy, checking to make sure Folco actually had some fun.

“It just doesn’t feel right. We should face our punishments in a mature manner, like civilized people,” said Folco.

“Blah blah blah!” said Abigail, boxing her ears with her hands.

Merry and Pippin were very silent. Was that good or bad? Amy couldn’t tell. The two hobbit boys were being so cryptic right now.

But Amy guessed what they were about to do. “You’re going to get back at me and Abigail for our prank, aren’t you?”

“Well, you pranked us,” said Merry, making the confirmation.

“Well Merry, I believe we have some thinking to do,” said Pippin.

“See you in a week, ladies,” said Merry, dragging Pippin back inside.

“A week?” asked Abigail. She didn’t want to separate from Merry that long.

“What is he doing, Folco?” asked Amy, curious and determined to find out why Merry and Pippin were being cryptic on them.

Folco understood and told the girls, mischievously, “We’ll see in a week. Hey, Merry, Pippin, wait up!” He charged after the two hobbit boys, catching up to them.

Abigail asked Amy, “Do you know what they’re up to?”

“No, I don’t. Come on, let’s go,” said Amy, leading Abigail straight to the Quidditch pitch. It was there that she and Abigail watched Gryffindor practice for their upcoming match against Hufflepuff. It would be an exciting game, or so Amy hoped. She read the Harry Potter books and knew what to expect; so she knew exactly who she was rooting for… but then Samwise Gamgee was in Hufflepuff House. Maybe she should root for both houses. Yep, that worked out for her.

o-o-o

Frodo finished _The Hobbit_ book Tuesday evening. As he took the bookmark out and placed it and the book on his dresser, Frodo’s thoughts fell over what he read: his mind was blown. That was his first reaction. Everything in the book J.R.R. Tolkien wrote concerning Bilbo seemed very close to the truth… but it still made no sense. Why didn’t his Uncle Bilbo inform him of an author writing a book on him and then not say anything? Frodo was still thinking critically of _The Hobbit_ book, but his curiosity was beyond compare.

Frodo was curious about what _The Lord of the Rings_ book trilogy contained about his life. Maybe these future events told him more about Bilbo’s “magic” ring, and if that were possible… what then was his life going to be like? Hopefully, his life in the future would be very exciting, filled with adventures… no, he had to think critically here. It was unwise to find out one’s future. After all, Frodo was more concerned with finding out Bilbo’s adventures, right? Frodo knew what he was getting himself into… well, maybe he didn’t… oh maybe _The Lord of the Rings_ wasn’t a book trilogy he should delve into. Not now, at least. Just reading _The Hobbit_ book may have been too much for him to begin with.

Frodo slept roughly that night, hardly remembering the dream he had the following morning. Well, he knew he dreamt of his parents again, even if he couldn’t recall much of the dream… or was it a nightmare? No, it felt more like a wild dream, like the ones he had for the past couple of weeks. At least he knew what he should do: return the book to Aria.

Getting dressed in his blue Hobbit uniform, Frodo sprinted out of the Boys’ Dormitory with _The Hobbit_ book. Climbing down the familiar steps, Frodo was back in the Ravenclaw Common Room. Finding Aria at her familiar spot, Frodo passed her the book.

Aria took the book, telling him, politely, “Thank you. I’ll be right back. I’m going to put this book in the Girls’ Dormitory,” said Aria.

Frodo nodded. “Take your time.”

Aria vanished moments later. After her entered Folco, who entered the common room with a yawn. Folco approached Frodo, feeling the need to talk, “I did not sleep at all last night. I couldn’t help it. The moon looked so lovely.” Folco had a serene, very tired look on his face.

Frodo asked him, a little annoyed, “Hopefully, you don’t snooze off in class today, or during breakfast.”

“I’m fit as a fiddle!” said Folco, doing his best to keep a calm posture.

“Right,” said Frodo. Feeling the need to help his friend, Frodo told him, calmly, “Well, maybe you should go back to bed for an hour or two. Don’t be late for class.”

“Well, I did manage to get four hours of sleep last night,” said Folco.

“Folco, go back to bed. I’ll see you at class this morning,” said Frodo, giving him a direct order.

Folco went silent. He didn’t like being ordered around, especially by his friends. Still, not wanting to upset Frodo, Folco charged up the stairs to the Boys’ Dormitory. Maybe a few hours’ rest was all he needed. It was only after Folco left that Aria returned, ready to start the day.

Aria asked Frodo, beaming, “Ready to go?”

“Yeah, sure,” said Frodo, paying more attention to the notice board than Aria, if only for a moment. Realizing she was standing in front of him, Frodo said, grinning cheekily, “Right, let’s go. Ladies first?” He bowed low in exaggeration.

Aria grunted, did her best to ignore Frodo for a bit and walked on; however, this attitude got Frodo’s attention, causing him to wrap an arm around her in a friendly manner. The two giggled and chuckled on their way out of the Ravenclaw Tower.

And while Folco did sleep through breakfast, he made it to his first morning class for that day. This made Frodo chuckle at Folco’s hurried state. Didn’t the hobbit know he made it to class on time? Somehow Folco figured it out, before he sat down with the rest of the class, right as the lesson started.


	38. Overlooked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, with the previous chapter, I accidentally got DoctorWhovian18 a bit OOC. This was not my intent. Hopefully, this time I can get both of them right as I have had to ask what their reactions would be. I know I got them right the first time, but not so much the previous chapter, which I am apologizing for. But the reason why DoctorWhovian18 is a bit OOC is because I may have spoofed her character a bit.
> 
> As for this chapter, we’re skipping ahead to the next day. If I still said the second week of January, I meant the third week, but anything that still says the second week is inaccurate according to the calendar, but we did enter the second week a couple of chapters back.
> 
> Ideas for this chapter came from DoctorWhovian18, LOTCR and Frodo.

Frodo awoke feeling refreshed, yet his mind wandered to _The Hobbit_ book. The previous day may have settled his mind that he didn’t want to know more, the yearning to find out the truth and some explanations needed to be answered. He would have to address Aria about these issues, see what she knew.

As soon as he was dressed, Frodo charged down the stairs to the Ravenclaw Common Room. There, to his surprise, Frodo found Aria sitting on one of the cushioned chairs. The reason he knew this was because Aria craned her head to him.

Frodo approached her, curious, “What are you doing over there?”

“Just thinking,” said Aria.

“About what?” asked Frodo.

“It’s not important,” said Aria. She changed the subject, “You’re a little late. I’ve already looked on the notice board. You can, too.”

“I doubt I’m late, Aria,” said Frodo. He got straight to the point, “But I came to ask you about ‘The Hobbit’ book, and there’s so much I need to ask.” He received a nod from Aria. “Well, firstly, why did Tolkien go about writing about Bilbo? I mean… how would J.R.R. Tolkien know about Bilbo and his adventures? Surely Bilbo told him, unless J.R.R. Tolkien was actually there.”

Aria replied, “I’m sorry. I don’t know the answer.”

“But it seems very accurate, what’s in the book and Bilbo’s stories. Isn’t there a reason for that?” asked Frodo, hoping to get a proper answer from her.

But all Aria did say was, “Frodo, I don’t know. This is all over my head.”

“But you knew about the Authors’ House and the chamber…”

“Only because I was told,” said Aria. She answered, calmer, “Look, I’m sorry, Frodo. I can’t help you with this.”

“But you have those books. Surely you know…”

“Frodo, I’m not an expert in this. There are things even I don’t fully understand. If I did, I would be as smart as Hermione or Dumbledore, but I’m not like them. I’m me,” said Aria. “That’s not going to change.”

“But you know about the Authors’ House,” repeated Frodo.

Aria too repeated, “Only from what I’ve been told. Otherwise, I don’t really have any answers to your questions about ‘The Hobbit’. This was before my time.”

“What about the book trilogy about me?” asked Frodo, still hoping for an answer.

But all Aria could tell him was, “Before my time. I’m sorry, Frodo. I can’t really help you there. But if you still want to talk about ‘The Hobbit’ book, I’m sure I’ll listen.”

Frodo fell silent, unsure what to say. Remembering, Frodo moved away from Aria and approached the notice board. Aria watched him, wondering if they would come down to the Great Hall together for breakfast. Even though she had been thinking some things over, and have mental meltdowns in the process, Aria wondered if Frodo was up for eating food. Frodo, after looking at the notice board and finding out which classes he had for the day, gestured to Aria. Aria bolted towards him in an effort to get to the Great Hall on time. Frodo, while he wasn’t as speedy as Aria, was also eager to eat breakfast. He hoped his friends would be there that morning, but of course they would be. They were staying at Hogwarts until the middle of June.

o-o-o

In the Great Hall, Sam was engulfed by an article in the Daily Prophet. However, his reverie was broken by Anne/ValueMyHeart, who sat down next to him at the Hufflepuff table. Sam, unlike Frodo, did not mind having a girl sit next to him. He had sisters and he loved them, so even though Anne broke him out of his reading, Sam figured he should be polite and talk to this authoress.

“Miss Anne, I’m glad you came. What brings you here?” asked Sam, a bit shy.

Anne had the book ready, which she journaled Sam’s activities. She asked him, “Sam, how are you doing this morning? And how goes your friendship with Frodo?”

“It’s goin’ steady. But Mr. Frodo spends much of his time with Miss Aria, it just…”

“Sam, they’re in the same house,” said Anne, as if the statement were obvious.

“I know, I know. And I respect him for that. Miss Aria is very shy,” said Sam. “But how are you doin’?”

“I’m doing well,” said Anne, jotting notes down in the journal. “How much time do you spend with Frodo, Merry, Pippin and your other friends?”

“Mostly between classes, but Mr. Frodo has Quidditch practice on top of school work. He’s busy all the time,” said Sam.

“You sound worried,” said Anne.

“I am,” said Sam. “You’re not going to tell him about this, are you?”

“Only if you don’t want me to,” said Anne. She finished jotting down her notes, before ending their conversation there. “Thank you, Sam.”

“Thank you, but I didn’t do anything,” admitted Sam.

Anne said, “I know you didn’t, but I have to record the events of your life in this book. That’s all. It’s nothing against you, Sam.”

“All right,” said Sam. “Are you heading out?”

“Yeah. I’m going to meet SweetDarkSilence later, plus I have classes. We’ll speak soon, Sam,” said Anne. Leaving their conversation there, and since Sam didn’t stop her, Anne walked out of the Great Hall.

Over at the Gryffindor table, Amy Collins/DoctorWhovian18 was encouraged by Abigail/LOTCR to approach Hermione Granger. Amy was nervous about meeting Hermione. After all, Amy recognized Hermione from the Harry Potter book series, so it explained her nervousness. Still, she knew the fangirl side of her, which she was very proud of, would come out. Finally gathering the courage she needed, Amy approached Hermione and tried to speak. The issue was she was frozen on the spot.

Hermione, hoping to break the awkward silence, asked Amy, “Can I help you?”

“She’s a fan, Hermione,” said Ron, unsurprised.

Hermione told him, “Ron.” She looked at Amy and told her, politely, “What is it you want to tell me?”

Amy said, elated, “I can’t believe I’m finally meeting you in person! Well, I know you from talking to Frodo, but I am so excited to meet you, Hermione Granger! You’re my favorite in the Harry Potter books.”

“Who wrote about me?” asked Harry, confused.

Amy, realizing the error she made, recovered, “No one.”

“O-kay,” said Harry, giving the same confused look Frodo gave.

Hermione asked Amy, surprised she had a fan, “So, you want my autograph?”

Amy nodded several times. “Yes please…” She recovered fast, taking a seat right next to Hermione. “What I really want to ask you is all these questions. I have so many that need to be answered about you.”

“Wouldn’t you like to tell Harry these questions?” asked Hermione.

“I think they’re your questions, Hermione,” said Harry, not wanting to be involved in another fan fiasco.

Hermione, realizing she had to be herself, asked Amy, making sure not to frighten the girl, “What sort of questions do you have for me?”

Amy asked first, feeling a little more confident, “Okay. If you weren’t a witch, what Muggle career path would you be interested in?”

Hermione answered, “Education. I love school.”

“We know,” said Harry and Ron at the same time.

Amy asked further to Hermione, as if they were in their own little world, “Oh, what field?”

Hermione answered right away, “Well, I would begin at a teaching career and then work my way up to principal.”

“You belong in school,” said Ron.

Ignoring Ron’s remark, Amy asked Hermione next, “Alright. Now I want to ask you, since I know you’ve read ‘Hogwarts: A History’ back to front, how long have Authors and Authoresses been coming to Hogwarts? Did they ever write for Men, not hobbits?”

Hermione explained, doing her best to keep it short and sweet due to the breakfast hour, “Well, Men, like your race, were among the first to be wrote about by the Authors and Authoresses. The other races were Elves and Dwarves. Hobbits didn’t come into the picture until later, especially during Bilbo’s time, when the Authors and Authoresses were obsessed with hobbits.”

“We still are,” said Amy, not liking to be accused. She asked Hermione, excited, “So, what was it like for the Authors and Authoresses to write about Men?”

“Well back when Hogwarts was first founded, the first Authors and Authoresses at this castle used to write for Elves and Men from Middle-earth. It was a different time. The first Authors and Authoresses used to write for witches and wizards, too, before the time in which the Wizardry World became a secret world, hidden from Muggles,” Hermione explained.

“And what were they like?” asked Amy.

“Oh they were…”

Ron whispered to Harry, “They’re just going to keep talking, aren’t they?”

“Definitely,” said Harry. “Shall we talk about Quidditch?”

“I think that’s a good idea,” said Ron, thinking of a topic to discuss.

Over at the Ravenclaw table, Frodo noticed Aria’s silence. Aria was too busy eating to really say anything, but she had a lot on her mind. Concerned for his friend, Frodo decided it was time to find out what was bothering her.

“So, you don’t know much about ‘The Hobbit’,” said Frodo, starting their conversation.

Aria gave him a look that would curdle milk. “No. Why do you ask?”

Frodo admitted, taken aback, “No reason. What’s up with you? You’ve hardly said two words to me.”

Folco asked at random, “Should I get involved?”

Frodo told him, “No, I’m sure I can get to the bottom of this.”

Aria started, “Look, it’s not important. Even if I wanted to say it, others would…”

“Aria, what have you to hide? We’re your friends, not your enemies,” said Frodo.

“Well…” Aria was scared. Should she admit what she was keeping quiet? It was hard. “I can’t.”

“What’s bothering you?” asked Frodo.

“I don’t want to tell you,” said Aria.

“Aria, if you can’t trust me, then…”

“Then what?” asked Aria. This was the moment she feared.

All Frodo could tell her, calmly, “Aria, you need to learn to trust me. If something’s on your mind, say it.”

Now Aria was afraid. Unable to get any words out, she returned to her meal.

Understanding Aria wasn’t going to admit whatever was on her mind, Frodo nodded and told her, “All right, keep quiet. But we will talk.”

Oh great. Aria looked up for a moment, lost in her own thoughts, and then returned to her meal. Frodo had to find a way to get Aria out of her shell and admit things to him. He had to try something… then it came to him, something that maybe Aria would be interested in doing. Maybe if he got his hobbit friends involved and their authoresses, things would turn out for the better. Well, he would wait and see sometime before lunch or during the lunch period.

o-o-o

Aria walked down the fourth-floor corridor, eager to get to her next class. As she did, she noticed a rather large group of four hobbits and three authoresses talking about their teachers. There was laughter, too. Recognizing the four hobbits as Frodo, Merry, Pippin and Folco, and the authoresses as Amy, Abigail, and Anne, who was about ready to depart, Aria approached the group with a cautious gaze. However, as she approached them, Frodo dragged her over. Frodo was at the end of the group.

Aria asked him, serious, “What are you doing?”

“Discussing teachers and making fun of them. Actually, it’s a good thing you came to join us, we could use another authoress,” said Frodo.

Anne was ready to leave. She told the seven friends, “Well, this has been fun. And if we do this again, let’s go after Filch. He’s been too harsh on all of us. And I know a few teachers that we can make fun of.”

“Yay!” said Abigail, a bit too eager.

Amy told Anne, “It was nice meeting you, Anne.”

“You too,” said Anne. She told Frodo, “Frodo, why don’t you show Aria how it’s done. I’ll see you all later. I’ve got to get to class.” She darted off as everyone said farewell to her.

Aria asked the group of seven, “Mocking Filch? Okay, while I’m all right with that, I just don’t think…”

“Fraidy cat?” asked Abigail.

“Come on, Aria. Lighten up a bit and have some fun,” said Amy.

“Your definition of fun is not the same as mine,” said Aria, a little hotly.

“Aria, apologize. Amy’s only having fun,” said Amy.

“I can have fun,” said Aria. She received disapproving looks from the others. “Come on. I know how to have fun on my own time. It’s not the same as yours.”

Amy admitted, “You do have a point.”

Frodo explained to Aria, “Aria, I figured you needed to come out of your shell more. Joke around, laugh. It’s better than being your serious, mopey self.”

“I’m not mopey,” whined Aria.

“You’re acting a little immature,” admitted Pippin.

“You are, too,” said Merry, directed at Pippin.

Frodo told Aria, trying to encourage her, “Come on, Aria. Lighten up. Enjoy yourself.”

Aria repeated a little different, “Your method of having fun is not the same as me-”

Frodo interrupted her, “Aria, please.”

Aria ended their conversation there, “I have to go to class.”

“Aria-”

“I have to go to class. I’m sorry, Frodo. This isn’t what I do. I don’t make fun of people,” said Aria. Not wanting to make a recovery, Aria darted away from Frodo.

Frodo was astonished. What had gotten into Aria? He felt sure that by breaking her out of her shell, she would agree to make fun of Snape, at least, or Filch… well, she was agreeing to make fun of Filch. However, Frodo didn’t get his chance. Something was off about her. This wasn’t like Aria. He expected the sweet, kind, shy girl who was humorous… but then, he hardly saw her comedic side, if she had one.

And it was only going to get better… or worse.

Amy asked Frodo, “What’s up with her?”

“I don’t know. I’ll ask her when I get back to the Ravenclaw Common Room,” said Frodo. “Maybe I’m missing something.”

“Maybe she’s not telling you the whole story,” said Merry.

Frodo nodded. That was it! She hadn’t even admitted what was bothering her… Aria…

Professor McGonagall interrupted Frodo’s reverie. She told him and his friends, “Mr. Baggins, what are you and your friends doing lollygagging about?”

The two authoresses and the hobbits said, Frodo a little quieter, “Nothing, Professor McGonagall.”

Professor McGonagall glared at Amy and Abigail, “Miss Collins, Miss Abigail, I expected better of you. Now don’t poke about, get moving or I shall deduct house points from Gryffindor!”

“We’ll see you later, Frodo,” said Amy, before she dragged Abigail away from the sight.

Once the two authoresses were gone, Professor McGonagall turned to the four hobbits, “Now, what’s this all about and why are you just standing there? Speak, or I will deduct further house points from Gyffindor and Ravenclaw. Yes, Mr. Boffin, I do mean Ravenclaw.”

Frodo spoke up, interrupting Folco, “We’re sorry, professor. We’ll get out of your way.”

In a mad dash, the four hobbits scattered away from Professor McGonagall. McGonagall had expected Frodo to be in class. There were high expectations for him, expectations he had yet to discover. Frodo glanced back at her once, before following Folco to their next class.

o-o-o

Frodo arrived at the Ravenclaw Common Room for the last time that evening. After the feast, Frodo found Aria at long last. She had been ducking him. Only when he found her, Aria looked fearful and teary-eyed.

Concerned, Frodo approached her. “Aria, look, I know something’s up with you. You haven’t told me the truth all day.” He sat down on the couch next to her. “If something’s bugging you, spill. Don’t leave it in the dark. It’s not wise to bottle something up.”

“Have you ever felt overlooked, overshadowed by everyone?” asked Aria.

“What?” asked Frodo, confused. Then he understood. He replied with, “Yeah, sometimes; mainly due to the height. Why do you ask?”

“That’s what it’s like for me. Also, people expect me to change, but they don’t do anything after I’ve done that. My friends in my Muggle school did it to me, and that time someone stood up for me. Now I’m on my own and you’re trying to change me, as Amy’s trying to change me. But you two aren’t in my shoes. I have to change me, no one else can do it. I know you want to help, but these things have to come on their own time, natural,” explained Aria, feeling a little better.

Frodo fell silent for a several moments.

Realizing her error, Aria apologized, kindly, “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to upset you-”

“Aria, you didn’t upset me. You surprised me,” said Frodo, reassuring her. “I didn’t realize how tough it’s been for you.”

“Well…” Aria gave up on what she wanted to say. She didn’t want to sound vicious. She knew what anger looked like.

Pitying her, Frodo told her, “Aria, you have friends, a family that loves you. And you’re right: people can only change themselves. But I won’t stop encouraging you or helping you to be better. You’re a very shy girl and uptight, like Hermione.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t…”

Frodo raised a hand. “Aria, there’s no need to apologize. You can tell me anything.”

“You think I can improve?” asked Aria, curious.

“Well, you admitted you want to change. It’s a start,” said Frodo, grinning her way. “Now, about the jokes and ‘The Hobbit’ book.”

“I told you, I don’t know any more than you do.” Aria told the truth, “The book was given to me by Dumbledore before I watched ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’…” Aria regretted even saying the title. She was spilling too much.

Frodo asked her, curious, “What’s that?”

“No, I’ve spoken too much. Look, if you want answers, go to Dumbledore. I’m sure he can give you some,” admitted Aria.

Frodo nodded. “Then I’ll go see Dumbledore.” He admitted to Aria, “I’m glad we’re still friends.”

“Me too,” said Aria, grinning his way.

Frodo and Aria spent the evening talking and catching up. Frodo learned a little more about Anne, Amy and Abigail before going to bed that night. He slept peacefully and by the time he was in the Great Hall for breakfast, Frodo found Aria speaking with her authoress friends once again. Aria was having a good conversation with them, which was definitely a good sign and hope for her. Frodo couldn’t have been gladder to see Aria filled with such joy, as it should be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know that was a little heated, but the reason I showed this is because there won’t always be happy moments in this story; there will be rocky ones. Also, while I have been saying this is a slow story, I’m trying not to make it too slow. Also, we’re skipping ahead again next chapter, because I feel like we need to get out of January.


	39. A Parcel from No One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know that Merry and Pippin are going to pull a prank on DoctorWhovian18 and LOTCR, to get back at them for their prank on these two hobbits, but this chapter, same as last chapter, I’m going to attempt to get all four authoresses into the chapter. Plus, we will get back to Frodo. I just hope that when we do skip ahead in time once again, it will go smoothly.

Saturday morning was slower than a steeler. The four authoresses of Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin – whose pen names were Aria Breuer, ValueMyHeart, LOTCR, and DoctorWhovian18 – walked down the lonely corridor on the sixth-floor corridor. They were enjoying their conversations about fandoms and writing, unaware that behind a stone pillar, Merry and Pippin were watching the four girls.

Pippin whispered in Merry’s ear, “Merry, I thought we were supposed to get Amy and Abigail alone.”

“This is better yet, Pippin. Watch,” said Merry. Pulling out a small handheld device with a big red button, Merry pressed it. Using some hand magic that Frodo helped teach him, Merry was able to pull the prank off with ease.

Abigail flushed with embarrassment. She thought she made a raspberry sound.

Amy chuckled, as did Anne. Amy told Abigail, “Abigail, was that you?”

Abigail flushed even redder. Merry pressed the red button again, making Pippin chuckle a bit in whispers. This time, Amy was affected. Aria said nothing, but was about to burst into laughter.

Amy admitted, truthfully, “I know I didn’t fart.”

Merry pressed the button again.

Anne let out a loud chuckle. Aria flushed red, her laughter fading. The raspberries continued, making Anne, Amy, and Abigail laugh their heads off. While Aria couldn’t help herself laughing, the scene was a bit too obvious to have been someone’s accident. She knew she was hearing the raspberry sound from somewhere. Checking her robe pockets, Aria at last found a fart machine. She alerted the other three authoresses to do the same. Just as Anne, Abigail and Amy pulled out three more fart machines from their robe pockets, Merry pressed the button, making all four fart machines go off in unison. More laughter was heard from Anne, Amy, and Abigail. While Aria tried to keep her composure, the second Merry and Pippin came out from behind the stone pillar, with Folco coming out after them, all but Aria cheered and clapped at them.

“I could do better,” said Abigail, testing the three hobbits.

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll come up with something, Abigail,” said Amy, “to get our three hobbits back.”

“Well done, guys,” said Anne. As she handed, Merry back the fart machine, Merry blasted the red button, making her crack up laughing.

“Where’s Frodo?” asked Aria, curious. “He’s not into this, is he?”

“Actually, I instigated this comeback prank,” said Frodo, moving away from the stone pillar. He said, chipper, “I knew you’d get into a joking mood. You have it in you.”

Filch shouted from close to the corner, “STUDENTS IN THE CORRIDOR!”

“It’s Filch,” said Pippin, not wanting to get into trouble.

“Snape is one thing, but we definitely need to get Filch back,” said Anne.

“Let’s mock him next!” said Abigail, keeping her voice low.

“Let’s go,” said Frodo, leading the way and dragging Aria with him.

The others followed after Frodo back to the Grand Staircase. When they thought that Filch wasn’t anywhere nearby, Frodo led them down to the second-floor corridor. At last, they made it safely back and were fine. Well…

“HEHEHE HA!” shouted Peeves, making everyone jump.

Anne called to him, “Peeves, don’t do that!”

Peeves picked on the group, “Ooh, lookie, lookie, ickle firsties! Don’t want to get caughtsies. Better tell Filch!” He vanished in a puff of smoke.

Frodo explained the plan, “Look, I’ll take Aria with me back to the Ravenclaw Common Room. The rest of you go on. We don’t want to get caught by Filch.”

“Good luck, Frodo,” said Amy.

“We’ll see you later,” said Merry.

As soon as they went their separate ways, Aria told Frodo, “But I was hoping to explore-”

“Not with Filch around,” said Frodo.

“But Frodo…”

Frodo looked at her. Although he wanted to agree with her, Frodo led Aria up the stairs to the seventh floor landing. From there, Frodo engaged in a conversation with Aria, “So, how was that?”

“What?” asked Aria.

“The prank Merry, Pippin, Folco and I pulled. See? You can joke around,” said Frodo.

“I didn’t know I had it in me,” said Aria.

“Well, you do,” said Frodo. “You seem happier now.”

“Yeah, I just freaked out yesterday,” admitted Aria. “But the truth is I do live at the Authors’ House, so obviously I would know something about there.”

“I figured you did,” said Frodo, grinning at her.

“Yeah, so have you figured out how to get to Dumbledore’s office?” asked Aria.

“I don’t even know where Dumbledore’s office is,” admitted Frodo.

“Well, maybe you should ask him at the feast tonight, about the book, or whenever you want,” said Aria.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” said Frodo. “So…”

Peeves interrupted their conversation. He about had enough. “Oh, that’s not fair!”

“Maybe next time, you shouldn’t send Filch,” said Frodo.

Peeves said, “Bagsey should be more careful, wouldn’t want to be in places he shouldn’t. HEHEHE!” He vanished soon afterwards.

Aria shook her head. She admitted to Frodo, “And there are some pranksters I do find annoying.”

“Well, that’s Peeves for you,” said Frodo.

Aria paused. She had to agree with him. “No doubt there.” She corrected herself, “Okay, so some pranksters, like yourself, are all right, but others can prove they’re annoying, like Peeves.”

“Well with Peeves, we have to watch out for him. He doesn’t like first years, so for sure he’ll try to prank us any chance he gets,” admitted Frodo.

“Good point,” said Aria.

Frodo suggested, calmly, “But I know, from what I saw, is that you do have a humorous side.”

“Yeah, maybe,” said Aria, sheepish.

Frodo said, “I know you do.”

Aria glanced back at him for a moment. Frodo shrugged his shoulders in such a casual way that Aria couldn’t help blushing with excitement. She nearly laughed because of this and almost lost her balance. Frodo grabbed her arm, shocking them both. The moment passed as Frodo helped Aria regain her balance, while doing his best not to lose his balance.

The two first years made it back to the Ravenclaw Common Room in one piece. And although Frodo wanted to find out what Professor Dumbledore knew about _The Hobbit_ book, he found himself frightened to even approach the Headmaster. It was more out of respect than just being afraid. Adults had that way about them that Frodo was still frightened of, yet he felt as if he should be braver in order to face Dumbledore. But when and how remained to be seen.

o-o-o

The rest of January passed without much delay. While the weather was still cold and wet, the atmosphere in the castle about Gryffindor’s upcoming match against Hufflepuff proved more of a sight than what would transpire between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Only Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, the hobbits and the authoresses gave Frodo encouragement, even though Frodo wasn’t as swamped in Quidditch practice as Harry was. Ned Timbers, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, found Frodo a natural and even though Frodo didn’t work as long during Quidditch practice, every moment counted. He didn’t want to be bested by the Slytherin Seeker, Terence Higgs. That would be bad for Ravenclaw’s reputation and Frodo didn’t want his house to suffer, like they had against Hufflepuff.

Although it was Amy’s/DoctorWhovian18’s idea, the prank war between Amy and Abigail/LOTCR versus Merry and Pippin grew steadily. Amy and Abigail, in their own right, used their tomgirl skills to devise good pranks that would not only impress Merry and Pippin, but encourage them to prank them in return. While Pippin willingly wanted to get back at the two girls on every occasion, Merry wondered if girls truly acted this way, instead of behaving how girls, as he recalled at the Shire, were supposed to behave. This did lead to Merry being pranked worse by Amy than neither Pippin nor Abigail expected. Abigail, on every occasion, checked to see if Merry was all right, which sometimes led Merry to groan in agony. Why then was Abigail fussing over him so much? She wasn’t Estella and he knew that. Still, the prank war continued without delay throughout those last two weeks in January.

As for Frodo and Aria, their friendship continued to grow much more smoothly. Frodo found Aria a good companion during meal times and breaks, especially when the day was done and the common room was empty. Although Aria was not much of a companion for pranks, Frodo did find her quite a humorous sort, which fit with his current demeanor. But if there was one thing he and Aria shared most, it was their love for adventures. However, Frodo still found the need to delve into the Sorcerer’s Stone with Harry, Ron and Hermione, since Aria was much more of a rule-keeper than Hermione, who Frodo found a good companion nowadays with this sort of trouble. Aria still hadn’t gotten out of her uptight, rule-setting behavior, which unnerved Frodo at times, making him feel mildly annoyed at her.

“Frodo, rules are important as is school. I get that you’re a smart, intelligent hobbit, but don’t you ever wonder if you’d just stop breaking the rules?” Aria asked one day, fed up already by Frodo’s impulsive behavior. She was behaving much more mature than Frodo realized.

Ticked off, Frodo made a cheeky comeback, “Don’t you tire of bossing people around?” This was not a good time to start another argument.

“I like sticking to the rules. It keeps me in line,” said Aria. She didn’t really want to begin an argument with him either. But she was growing used to Frodo’s cheeky side, especially in this instance, when it annoyed Frodo most.

“It keeps you bound. The teachers respect me, except for Snape, but he can-”

“Frodo!” said Aria, surprised at him for almost swearing. “I told you: I don’t like swearing.”

“Yeah, you never swear or curse,” said Frodo, suspicious. “Why is that?”

Aria told him, very serious, “Frodo, swearing irks me and it’s not polite. Besides, there are plenty of other words in the dictionary to use that does not involve swearing.”

Frodo was amazed. Aria’s vast knowledge was impressive. “Wow.”

Aria was confused. “Wow what?”

“It’s just… you know so much, and yet you spend so much of your time alone,” said Frodo, still impressed by her.

Aria retaliated, keeping her voice the same, “And you are a prankster, but you are intelligent. How do you contradict yourself?*”

“Aria, please, you are just as much of a contradiction as I am,” said Frodo. Naturally, his conversation with Aria, one of many, continued well into the evening; Frodo found Aria a great conversationalist when she wanted to be, which was probably worth it in his mind. He found her so impressive, but there were still plenty of things he wanted to work on with her, even if she wouldn’t agree to them all at first.

o-o-o

The first day of February began with not much activity that early morning. However, when Frodo awoke and after he dressed, he found on a table in the Ravenclaw Common Room a wrapped parcel addressed to him. Aria was seated on the cushioned blue chair, right next to the table, when she saw Frodo approach.

Pointing to the sky blue package, Aria told Frodo, “This arrived in my dorm just this morning. I didn’t see anyone, but it was on my desk, addressed to you. Do you have an admirer? Why then was it given to me?”

“I don’t know. To confuse us,” spoke Frodo.

Aria handed Frodo the package. “Well, it’s for you.”

“Thank you, Aria,” said Frodo. Taking off the folded parchment from the parcel, Frodo asked her, “Did you have a good sleep?”

Aria nodded, brimming with excitement. “I had rather exciting dream this morning. There was this castle in the clouds and I was one of the royalty… well, I was a princess and it was peaceful. You were in there, too, crowned a prince. But it was a splendid dream.”

“I think we shared the same dream. I remember feeling refreshed and ready to go this morning…” Frodo’s attention turned to the note, which read:

**_I remember hearing about your fiasco  
with finding the author of ‘The Hobbit’. _ **

**_Here is something that should assist you_ **   
**_on your journey. I hope it helps in your_ **   
**_expedition for greater knowledge._ **

**_Don’t wander too far._ **

There was no name, which left Frodo in dire confusion. Frodo showed the note to Aria, who read it to herself. Unsure who the author of the note was, Aria shook her head.

She told Frodo, “I’m not sure… Dumbledore, maybe.”

Frodo shrugged. “Beats me.” As Aria held onto the note for him, Frodo unwrapped the delicate paper. Inside, Frodo found a thin brown box with gold designs on the front.

Before Frodo could speak to Aria, Aria told him, warily, “You know, if you don’t want anyone to see what you have, you might want to take it to your room. I mean no offense, but don’t you think this is your quest.” She handed Frodo the note. “Please. We’ll talk some more after you’ve finished. I just figured this was a private matter and you needed your privacy.”

“Wouldn’t someone want to know?” Frodo started.

Aria explained, “Frodo, you were the one that asked me these questions. This is your quest. I just didn’t want you to think-”

Frodo huffed. “I don’t want to do this alone. You understand, don’t you?”

Aria paused. The last thing she wanted was to see Frodo frustrated. She apologized at once, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made you go in alone. I guess I’m used to going it alone.”

“Well, you don’t need to be this way in front of me,” said Frodo. He extended his hand for the note, which Aria returned to him. Before Frodo returned to his dorm, Aria helped him with the paper and the rope, and then she followed him up the stairs to the Boys’ Dormitory. Frodo asked her, “Why can’t I visit your dorm?”

“Boys aren’t allowed into the Girls’ Dormitory,” said Aria. “Besides, it would be embarrassing having a boy in the dorms.”

“I suppose,” said Frodo, grinning at the thought and imagining what it would be like for him to be in a Girls’ Dormitory. However, when he looked Aria’s way, she glared at him. Hoping to resolve the matter, Frodo changed the subject, “So, what do you think Dumbledore sent me?”

“I don’t know. It must be important, otherwise this box wouldn’t have been sent in the first place,” said Aria.

“Good point,” said Frodo.

Entering the Boys’ Dormitory, Frodo set the box on his bed alongside the note, while Aria set the wrappings and the rope on the bed next to the box. Taking a deep breath, Frodo opened the box’s lid. The lid opened with ease, allowing Frodo to set it on his pillow. Peering inside, Frodo found a leather hardbound book, which had the title on the front in bold letters: **_The Observing Writer: A Guide for the Keen of Mind Interested in Time Travel_**. Below that was the author’s name which said: **_by Arthur Kettleburn_**.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, for starters, I don’t know how in-character ValueMyHeart, DoctorWhovian18 and LOTCR are in this chapter. All I know is I did my best, but I know if they spot anything OOC, these three authoresses/fanfic writers will let me know. We did some skipping around, but I hope it’s a lot smoother than it has been. I will continue skipping ahead, since there are a few events I want to cover in February.
> 
> Footnotes:
> 
> *Well, if anyone caught this little reference from the Drew Barrymore movie “Ever After”, then I am impressed. If not, I’ll still explain anyway why this happened during this conversation: yes, sometimes I end up mixing up lines from movies and games unintentionally. It’s not something that often occurs, but this little reference is one conversation I’ve always enjoyed. I am grateful in a way to include it a bit in the story, even if they are not the same contradictions and trust me, they’re not. These two contradictions about me and Frodo’s characters are our own and not related to the film in any way.


	40. A Disappearing Act

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am aware about the cliffhanger. Well, this chapter brings up the rest of the action for that morning on the first of February. And obviously, we’re back to regular chapters without revamping again, but this chapter I had to rewrite due to the extension in the timeline for this story, but we’re still following the calendar of the first _Harry Potter_ book.

“Time Travel?” asked Frodo, confused.

“Maybe that’s what Tolkien did. But I’m no expert on J.R.R. Tolkien,” admitted Aria.

Frodo turned his gaze to her.

Aria said, truthfully, “I’m just starting out reading them. I mean, you know ‘The Hobbit’ better than me now, the book I mean.”

“So, you’re not an expert, then,” said Frodo.

“No. I’m just a student, learning to be an author,” said Aria.

Frodo returned his gaze to the book. He paused, and then told Aria, “Well, whatever’s in this book will probably tell me how authors were able to time travel, or even how Tolkien knew what went on in the future.”

“You sure you want to know your future?” asked Aria, concerned.

“No,” said Frodo, serious. He added, calmer, “Well… I just want to find out how J.R.R. Tolkien did it. Maybe he knows a thing or two about…”

“Frodo, this isn’t a good idea,” said Aria.

“Aria…” Thinking better of their current situation, Frodo said, “look, I don’t want to argue. But I have to find out.” He placed a gentle hand on Aria’s shoulder.

“Just be careful,” said Aria.

Frodo nodded. “I will.”

“What’s going on here?” asked Folco, gazing at the two.

Forced out his reverie, Frodo gave a good reason as he placed the lid over the box: “Aria and I were just having a decent conversation as friends, as that’s all we are.” He winked at Aria.

Unable to stop grinning, Aria said, “Exactly.”

Folco told the two, “Well, I was heading down to the Great Hall, unless you two are busy. Then I can leave…”

“No, we were heading out, too. I mean, that’s all I want is to chat with friends.” Frodo said, truthfully, “Nothing happened, Folco.”

Folco sighed in relief. “Good. Now come on you two, we’d better get a move on.”

“All right, Folco,” said Frodo, chuckling a little. After putting his box inside his trunk, Frodo led Aria after Folco out of the Boys’ Dormitory. It took the three minutes to reach the Great Hall, where breakfast was still being had.

o-o-o

Most nights, including that Saturday evening, Frodo would find himself sitting on his bed, examining the strange book. True, he did find out curious information on how time travel worked, and also how one could bounce back and forth between worlds. However, nothing in the book described how J.R.R. Tolkien wrote _The Hobbit_ book. Or so he thought.

One evening in early February, Frodo stumbled upon a scrawled note, which read:

**_Authors do not know where Ideas come from, but our only conclusion we have is they come from the events we cherish or find terrifying._ **

“What is this?” Frodo’s voice raised an octave higher than he expected. Nervousness came to him when Folco tossed and turned, asking him in a sleepy voice:

“What was that, Frodo? Did you say something?”

Frodo shook his head. “It’s nothing. Go back to sleep, Folco.”

Obeying him subconsciously, Folco rolled over and immediately went back to sleep. Relieved that he wasn’t caught, Frodo scanned the scribble, as if he were hoping that some hidden message would come from the note. He couldn’t find any. The note was straightforward. Oh, if only he could figure out what it meant.

Frodo’s eyelids drooped. Maybe it was better he go to sleep. Returning the book inside his trunk, Frodo climbed back into bed. It took him minutes to finally fall asleep, but when he awoke the next morning, he felt a rush of tiredness.

Aria naturally found out and asked him at the Ravenclaw table. She too was sleepy. “Couldn’t sleep?”

Frodo shook his head. “I was studying, the book I was given. It’s quite interesting.”

“I see,” said Aria. It was still taking her a while to come around.

Frodo added, “I found this scribble, which said that authors don’t know where ideas come from, only based on the experiences we share. But that still doesn’t answer the question as to how…” He was shushed by Aria, forcing Frodo to lower his voice an octave, “…how J.R.R. Tolkien knew about my uncle’s adventures. You know what I mean.”

Aria was a little more awake then. “Frodo, maybe it was coincidence that J.R.R. Tolkien knew about your uncle. During class yesterday, Professor Cherryhill explained that authors usually get ideas, but we have no idea where they come from. As far as we know, it’s something to be treasured. It could mean anything.”

Frodo stared at the wall, admitting to her, “Maybe I’ll never find the answer. But I will wait a while before I read ‘The Lord of the Rings’.”

“You sure you want to read it,” said Aria. “It isn’t a wise idea.”

“How would you know? You haven’t started reading them,” said Frodo.

“Yes, well… I don’t everything that’s going to happen later on down the road. All I know is that something will happen to you. I just don’t know what that is. But I will get to reading ‘The Hobbit’, and since you’ve read it I don’t want you to spoil it for me,” said Aria.

Frodo said, out of respect, “Don’t worry. I won’t ruin it for you.” He couldn’t help but grin in her direction.

Frodo continued having a long conversation with Aria. It was nice that they were talking, instead of getting into each other’s necks. Sure they were different, but they did have some things in common. All that mattered was that they were friends. However, Folco did take note of their behavior. Since he was in Ravenclaw Folco found himself mediating between the two, a job he wasn’t particularly grateful of doing.

Time seemed to pass by all too quickly. And it was only going to get better.

o-o-o

Frodo cringed on February 14th. He still didn’t understand how the older students could kiss and things like that, let alone wanted to. It was the one day in which he did all he could to make sure Aria and Hermione didn’t know how out-of-whack he was, and yet Fred and George noticed.

Aria did find Hermione though, when she felt the need to talk to another girl. “Hermione, is it all right to talk?” Aria was still stumbling on her words, and being extremely shy.

“Aria, good to see you,” said Hermione. She asked, concerned, “Well, what is it you want to tell me?”

“Well, besides me being your fan…”

“Oh, you’ve been talking to Amy,” said Hermione. Realizing Aria was in a dreadful state, Hermione told her as calmly as she could, “I’m joking. I appreciate that I have fans. It makes me feel special.”

Aria got straight to the point. “Well… have you seen Frodo? He’s been avoiding me all morning, and now that it’s afternoon, I just wondered if he came and talked to you.”

“Now come to think on it, Frodo’s hardly said two words to me either. I think he’s avoiding all girls,” said Hermione.

“He is,” said Aria, relieved she wasn’t the only one. “Why would he do that?”

“We should ask him together. Two against one might draw him out of his shell,” said Hermione.

As Hermione and Aria walked, they did spot Frodo. However, the second Frodo saw Aria, he waved at her, said nothing, and darted down the corridor. Aria, now filled with determination, ran after him. Hermione proved to be faster than she was, making Aria lag by a lot. The only thing that made Aria more concerned was that Hermione found Frodo first and demanded an answer to his behavior. Aria drew closer, but kept her distance, if only for a moment. Curiosity dragged Aria closer to the spot where Frodo and Hermione were talking.

Only when Frodo saw Aria, he stood still. Chuckling a bit, Frodo darted down the corridor. Hermione shook her head in disbelief. Aria rushed up to Hermione.

Fearful, Aria asked, “Did I do something wrong?”

Hermione answered, “No. I honestly don’t know what’s wrong with him. He’ll return. He did speak to me.”

“Yes, but he was looking strange. Does he have a crush on me?” asked Aria. Then she remembered, but that two months ago since Frodo said anything to her.

Hermione said, “I don’t know what’s wrong with him. I’m sure he’ll talk to you again,” said Hermione. She said last, “Well, I’m going to find Harry and Ron. Do you want to come?”

“Sure,” said Aria. She liked talking to Harry and Ron, even though Ron was a little rough around the edges.

As they searched for Harry and Ron, Aria spoke a great deal about the things she’d done in the Muggle world to Hermione. She even went on to talk about her friendship with Frodo, and all the great things she knew Frodo had. Hermione found Aria rather awkward to talk to, as she hardly had a chance to speak. It was very intimidating. Hermione thought Filch was bad, but Aria was another story. Still, Hermione put on a good face, as Aria, unlike Filch, was full of kindness and that was something Hermione didn’t overlook in a person or a friend.

At last, the two girls found Harry and Ron on the castle grounds. The two boys were heading back inside.

Ron told Hermione, “Hermione, you brought the shy girl with you.”

“Oh really, Ron,” said Hermione. “Aria wanted to come and talk with us. She’s been telling me stories about Frodo.”

“Really?” asked Harry, interested. “Well, let’s go inside.” He led the three to the castle doors. Glad to be out of the cold, Harry asked Aria, “So, what have you been telling Hermione about Frodo?”

“Well, I do know his favorite color’s blue, he’s quite the prankster,” said Aria.

“Don’t we all know that about him,” asked Ron.

“What else did he say to you?” asked Harry to Aria. Realizing he needed to be more civil to Aria, Harry said to her, “You’re not like Hermione, are you?”

“Well, I do like school work,” said Aria.

Harry and Ron groaned at that.

Hermione told the two boys off, “Honestly, both of you, give Aria a chance to speak.”

“But she just said she likes homework,” said Ron.

“Was that a poor choice of words?” asked Aria. She really wanted to impress them.

“No,” said Hermione.

“Yes,” said Harry and Ron.

“I’m sorry,” said Aria, timid.

“You don’t need to apologize,” said Hermione.

Ron interfered, “Yes she does.”

“Come on, Ron,” said Hermione.

Harry asked Aria next, “So, what do you make of today? It is Valentine’s Day.”

“Oh,” Aria said, beaming, “I celebrate the day, but I don’t really understand what it means.”

“Neither do I,” said Harry.

“We really should get studying, Harry, Ron,” said Hermione.

“It’s too early to study,” said Ron.

“Nonsense,” said Hermione. “Homework is important. How else are we all supposed to get into our second year, if we don’t study?”

Aria was frantic now. Maybe she should get studying, too.

Ron picked up on Aria’s behavior. “Oh, no one is making _you_ study, Aria.”

“Well…” Aria was at a loss for words. But then, she was a bit more confident, thanks to being outside her mind. She said a moment later, “I know I don’t have to study.”

“What are you talking about? If we don’t study, we’ll never get through our exams,” said Hermione, not believing what she was hearing.

“Hermione’s right, too,” admitted Aria.

“Whose side are you on?” asked Ron.

“Probably on the side that involves us studying,” said Harry.

Aria felt tears about to stream down her face. She didn’t want to be bullied for this. She knew when she was being bullied and how it felt being the victim of it.

Just then, Draco Malfoy approached the four with Crabbe and Goyle trailing after them. “Oh, look at this: Potty, the Weasel, and their low-life friends. What’s the matter, Breuer? Can’t take how low you are?”

Aria didn’t know what to say, but neither did she know how to defend herself.

Harry gladly defended her. “Aria didn’t do anything to you.”

“Then maybe she should learn who her real friends are, which does not involve us real wizards? What’s the matter, Potter? Afraid to face me,” said Malfoy.

“Who’s more the coward, Malfoy?” asked Ron, defending Harry.

“Buzz off, Potter,” said Malfoy, shoving past Aria as he walked. Following his lead, Crabbe and Goyle also pushed and shoved Aria.

Due to this reaction, Aria landed smack on the stone floor, bruised her hands and left side, but the wounds weren’t bad. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle laughed, watching the scene before them. Not knowing what to do, and terrified of what would happen Aria just lay there on the stone floor. Harry, Ron and Hermione did their best to help Aria up, but Aria was frozen a bit in place.

“Aria, are you all right?” asked Hermione.

“Come on. We don’t want to make fools of ourselves in front of Malfoy,” said Harry in Aria’s ear.

This terrified Aria all the more. Instead of bravery, she didn’t know whether to stand up or whether to stay in the same place. Just then, Malfoy and his lackeys were splattered by flying eggshells. The three ran for cover as the eggs splattered them and disappeared in the air, except when aimed at them. Harry finally helped Aria stand up, but it was Frodo who came out of his hiding place and took Aria to the Hospital Wing.

However, when they came close to the Hospital Wing, Aria broke down in tears. Frodo brought her over to a stone bench, doing his best to comfort her with words and even wrapping an arm around her, in an attempt not to hurt her.

“Come on. We need to get you mended,” said Frodo.

Aria asked, between tears, “Can’t you heal me?”

“I don’t know. I’m a beginner, but I could try,” said Frodo, insisting to taking her bruised hands.

Aria shook her head and pulled back. “On second thought, wait until you’ve got the hang of it.”

“But I can try,” said Frodo. “Here. Let me see.”

Reluctantly, Aria gave him her bruised hands. Placing his hands over Aria’s scabbed wounds, the wounds pulsed furiously in Frodo’s grasp, making Aria wince from the pain, Frodo concentrated on the bruises. Purple light engulfed the wounds, but it only reached as far as his hand. It wasn’t enough as the purple light turned to blue, rapidly changing back and forth between the two colors. Aria yelped in pain, as if the wounds were getting worse. Feeling his energy draining, Frodo released Aria’s hands, as his own screamed in pain. The two looked at Aria’s hands, but saw the bruises were darker; the wounds making her hands go numb from the increased pain. Aria let out a small scream, but eventually found herself stop; the pain was too much for her.

Frodo managed to tell her, even though Aria would barely remember his words, “I’m sorry. I’m still learning how to heal wounds. It’s still tough because I’m trying to figure out how to heal the smaller wounds first. I still can’t get the hang of it.”

When his pain lessened and he felt better, Frodo turned his attention to Aria, but Aria had gone limp in his arm. Figuring he would have to carry Aria, Frodo stood up when he was ready and lifted her off the bench. To his surprise, Aria was light as a feather, which made it easy for him to travel to the Hospital Wing, which was on that same floor.

The second he was met by Madam Pomfrey, Frodo explained the situation, “Aria was pushed by Gregory Goyle, she fell, bruised her hands and her left side, and then she fainted before we got here.”

“Bring her to the bed there,” said Madam Pomfrey.

As soon as Frodo set Aria on the bed, moving Aria’s bruised hands gently away from the bed, Frodo admitted to Madam Pomfrey, “I tried to use my hand magic to heal Aria, but I’m not that strong.”

“You should have brought her to me straightaway, instead of trying to mend her bruises the way you did. You’re a first year, aren’t you?” asked Madam Pomfrey.

“Yes, but I-”

Madam Pomfrey pulled out her wand and said, pointing her wand at Aria’s bruises, “Tergeo!” The spell worked and there was much improvement in the wounds, which were now pinkish-red spots with dry skin still attached in places. “Now to grab some bandages.”

Aria gasped as she awoke, her eyes shooting open. Frodo was by her side, cheerful to see her awake:

“Aria, you’re awake! Do you remember what happened?” asked Frodo.

“Yeah. Malfoy was around, and Goyle pushed me. What happened? Where am I?” asked Aria, a bit distant.

“In the Hospital Wing,” said Frodo.

“The Hospital – I need to…” Aria moved quickly, but felt herself losing breath.

Frodo stopped her, helping her lay back down. “No, slowly Aria, slowly. You just fainted. You’re not ready to get up.”

Doing as she was told, Aria rested her head on the bed. Madam Pomfrey returned with a dish filled with water, a wash cloth, and some bandages. Making sure Frodo wasn’t in her way, Madam Pomfrey cleansed Aria’s wounds, the peeled skin dropping with ease. When she was done, Madam Pomfrey bandaged Aria’s hands.

With this task completed, Madam Pomfrey informed Aria, as she tested Aria’s left side, “Well, there’s no real damage, and I’m certain the pain will go away in a few days, as long as you don’t sleep on your bad side. I’ll bring you some food and liquid before you go. Any fainting spell requires both food and water, so it doesn’t happen again. Otherwise, you may leave. The wounds aren’t that bad.”

Aria nodded. “Thank you.”

Madam Pomfrey walked away from the bed, in search of some food and drink for Aria. She returned a few minutes later with a silver tray filled with some slices of ham, cooked carrots, a bowl with cut up fruit, and a glass of water. As soon as Madam Pomfrey left them alone, Aria dug into her food, but first she drank her water halfway. She was hungry and the food helped her feel better and more awake.

Frodo asked her, “How much did you eat today?”

“Not too much. Just a few chicken legs, some grapes, and some pumpkin juice, but that was it,” said Aria. “It was lunch time. I guess I wasn’t that hungry.”

“I beg to differ,” said Frodo, chuckling a little in amazement only.

“Frodo, I didn’t know I would faint, but my wound was too much,” said Aria.

“You feeling light-headed again?” asked Frodo, pressing a hand to Aria’s forehead. It felt a little hot. He felt her cheek, which was also hot.

At that, Aria drank some more water.

Frodo admitted to her, “You _are_ hungry.”

Aria chewed down half a slice of ham, before admitting aloud to herself, “I guess I am.”

“We’ll leave when you’re done,” said Frodo.

Aria nodded. She wanted to say ‘thank you’, but her mouth was too stuffed. Somehow, she knew Frodo understood.

Once Aria was done, as well as she and Frodo leaving the Hospital Wing, Aria asked him, “Where were you? You’ve been avoiding me all morning and early into the afternoon.”

“I don’t like Valentine’s Day,” admitted Frodo, serious.

Aria grunted. “Why not? It’s a holiday.”

“The whole idea of… love, whatever that means, it’s silly. And to think of what the adults go through, I could never commit to something like that,” said Frodo.

Aria asked him, out of curiosity, “So, have you thought of Pearl?”

Frodo flushed red in embarrassment. “I… spoke to her yesterday. Actually, it’s a funny story.”

“I’ve got time,” said Aria.

Frodo explained to her, “Well, whatever was wrong with Pearl at the Quidditch match against Gryffindor versus Slytherin, that’s been sorted out. I apologized to her and she laughed my way like it wasn’t a big deal. She said that she only wanted to get my attention because she wanted to tell me something, but then she forgot what it was. Silly girl, I say, can’t even think of what to say next.”

Aria told him, serious, “Well, girls sometimes forget whatever’s on our mind, especially if it’s been months back.”

Frodo said, “Hm hmm. Good point, Aria. But still, I’m developing this friendship with Pearl, too. Hopefully, you understand. I was about to tell you yesterday, but then I remembered that today is Valentine’s Day and so I panicked. I forgot the whole thing.” He admitted, “Now come to think on it, I’ll probably write a letter to Bilbo, asking what his business is with J.R.R. Tolkien, just to see what he says.”

“Then I wish you luck, Frodo,” said Aria.

“Thanks. You’re a good friend,” said Frodo, grinning at her.

But when Frodo looked away, Aria felt this longing that maybe there was something more between them, something of which Aria did not understand fully at the time. But she didn’t really get her chance to ask as Frodo led her back to the Ravenclaw Common Room. There, after strict orders from Frodo, Aria departed for the Girls’ Dormitory. Once Frodo was sure Aria was all right, he went into the Mini Study Tower in the Boys’ Dormitory, writing a letter to Bilbo about everything that transpired, including reading _The Hobbit_ book.

When Frodo sent the letter to Bilbo via his owl Prim, a thought crossed his mind: how would his uncle react to this new development? He would have to wait and find out when he received a responding letter from Bilbo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so everyone is aware, younger me, at this age, did not read _The Hobbit_ until after the movies. So that explains a lot given this time period. LOTCR’s idea, rather a question, as to when Frodo would ask Bilbo about _The Hobbit_ book came up in her latest review. So, we’ll get the answer to that next chapter. Also, Quidditch is coming up next chapter as well, so that should be a lot smoother and not all over the place, like it was before.


	41. Awkward Moments

Aria awoke as dawn rose across the early morning sky. Just before she could work herself into a fix, she remembered it was Saturday and all she had for homework was what she was learning in her writing classes. Breathing a sigh of relief, but finding her mind didn’t want to go back to sleep, Aria dressed and headed down to the Ravenclaw Common Room. Her roommates, in all three sections of the Girls’ Dormitory, were still asleep. While Aria didn’t like sneaking around, she knew she had to in order to leave the dorm. At last she made it, without disturbing anyone’s sleep, and rushed downstairs.

When she came to the common room, Aria’s first reaction was to head to the fireplace and get warm. Only the fire in the hearth had died down hours ago, leaving nothing but ash behind and a fiery light still cast about the bluish-bronze room. The wind brought a chill to her bones, forcing her to cross her arms and pull her long blue trench coat close to her body, in a hopeless effort to keep warm. As she walked across the common room, Aria jumped a little in shock when she saw a curly-haired student sitting on the couch, his back turned to her.

Aria apologized in low mutters, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone else was down here. I’ll just…” But as she made her way towards the notice board, the student revealed himself when he spoke to her, the same familiar voice she had grown so used to hearing:

“What are you doing up? Breakfast isn’t for another hour,” said the student in his masculine voice.

Aria’s head snapped towards the blue couch. The student revealed himself to be Frodo Baggins, but the alarm he gave her made Aria feel like a wounded deer. Not wanting to upset him, Aria apologized:

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t sleep anymore,” said Aria. She winced in pain, the wound from her hands still hurting.

Frodo gestured her to the couch, “Come here.” As Aria approached, Frodo added, “We need to change your bandages. I went to the Hospital Wing after you were asleep yesterday, before the evening feast, and asked Madam Pomfrey for some healing potion and clean bandages.”

“You did this for me?” asked Aria, surprised.

Frodo said, his face flushed, “Well, in a way, but it’s to help you heal. I had hoped your wounds wouldn’t be infected.” Extending a hand, on top of a small silver table, Frodo said, “Now, let’s see those hands.”

Aria was reluctant at first, but not wanting to disobey a direct order, she passed her hands to Frodo a bit too soon. The pain returned, but it was mild. Still, she had to ask him, as Frodo unwrapped the bandage on her right hand, “Shouldn’t Madam Pomfrey be doing this? Maybe I should go see her.”

Frodo grabbed her wrist. He informed her, doing his best to keep himself calm, “I asked her the same thing you did to me. Madam Pomfrey considered it, but after some convincing, seeing if I had a knack for healing someone, she agreed but informed me that I need to change your bandages frequently, only if the wounds had increased and were infected. That’s the arrangement we made; otherwise, yes, you will go and see Madam Pomfrey.”

“Have you done this before?” asked Aria, a bit wary.

Frodo chuckled. “Once, when I was nine years old. My mother, whom you’ve met, introduced me to the craft. She told me, ‘one cannot hope to put too much ointment on a wound; it’ll infect the wound worse if you do that’. Ever since that time, I remembered what she said, what she expects of me should I cleanse a wound…” His voice faltered as he checked Aria’s right hand. Madam Pomfrey had indeed done her work well: even though there was pus, much of the wound had healed, but it still needed to be bandaged. Frodo figured he would give the wounds on Aria’s hands about another day or two to recover.

Because Aria’s full attention was on her wounds, Frodo decided to distract her as he cleansed her hand. He hoped she would forget about her physical pain; at least, for a while. “So, how are your classes? What are you learning so far?”

Aria said, timidly, “Well, you know I told you that we’re learning spelling and grammar, but that’s two of my classes…”

“I asked how your classes are going, but knowing what you have is good too,” said Frodo, correcting her.

Remembering her place, Aria said, “Oh. My classes are going well. And since you asked me what I am learning, it’s basically how to be an author.”

“I knew that,” said Frodo, grinning. Did Aria really not get his questions? Why was she repeating answers to him? “I meant what you are learning in class to become an author.”

“I told you I’m learning spelling and grammar, but I’m also learning the creative aspects to writing a proper creative story. My creative writing teachers said if I get the mechanics down, I should come through with writing a decent story,” said Aria.

“And that’s all?” asked Frodo.

“Yeah, pretty much,” said Aria, giving him a quizzical brow. “Why do you ask?”

Frodo shrugged. “Maybe someday I’ll become a writer.”

“Really?” asked Aria, amazed and thrilled that her favorite hobbit was considering the same career as she. She admitted, casually, “Well, I rather fell into writing.”

Frodo shrugged a second time. “It’s a thought.”

“Well, if you’re interested, I’m sure I can pull a few strings and…”

“Would you?” asked Frodo, direct but firm.

Aria then realized her mistake. She wasn’t brave enough to inform her professors about Frodo’s choice to being a writer. Would he consider it? She hardly knew. Thinking better, wincing as Frodo unwrapped her bandaged left hand, Aria said, “I guess I’m not that brave to face my teachers.”

“Not yet,” said Frodo. He patted Aria’s right hand, keeping his firm gentle, “This hand’s done.”

“You tell me this as you unwrap my left hand,” said Aria. When she looked at her left hand, she about fainted. Her left hand looked worse, with pus forming all around the wounds.

Frodo reacted in quick time. “Aria, Aria! Don’t look. Just breathe deep and slow.”

Aria closed her eyes, doing her best to keep calm. She took deep breaths as Frodo instructed, doing nothing but concentrating on keeping herself from fainting. She remembered she hadn’t eaten anything yet, so seeing her wound didn’t help ease her stomach, let alone her thoughts. When she finally regained her breath, feeling a bit woozy, Aria felt arms wrap around her. Frodo was hugging her.

When he released her, Frodo pressed a hand to Aria’s forehead. She was a little hot. However, it was her stomach that grumbled, giving away that she was starving. As students filed out of the Ravenclaw Common Room, Frodo told Aria, “Come on. Let’s get you some food.”

Aria nodded without saying anything. When she felt ready to walk, as she felt a little better after a couple of minutes, Aria was helped to her feet by Frodo. Moving slowly but surely, until Aria was well enough to travel, Frodo led Aria straight to the Great Hall. From there, Aria resolved her issue and ate whatever food and drink she could muster. Frodo gladly stayed by her side, doing his best to make sure Aria was well.

By afternoon, Aria was feeling much better.

o-o-o

The following Saturday was Gryffindor’s second Quidditch match, but this time against Hufflepuff. Even though Sam Gamgee wanted to cheer on his teammates, as he did to please his family, he couldn’t help on the inside to cheer for his friends, too. Unfortunately, what set everyone’s moods off except for Lotho, Draco Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle was Snape was referring that match.

The match only lasted for five minutes, but still it was impressive: Harry leapt off his broomstick when he found the Snitch, caught it and won the match for his team and his house. As expected, there was an uproar of applause. While Aria, her hands now fully healed and herself back to her typical, uptight behavior, only clapped a little, Frodo found himself applauding only through clapping. He was still a bit jealous of Harry and his fame, but that didn’t stop him from cheering on Gryffindor and taking pity on Sam.

However, Frodo’s gaze fell on Pearl Took, who giggled when their eyes met. Awkward about the current situation, Frodo’s eyes retreated to the field, but momentarily gazed at Pearl again. He wanted to wave to her, talk to her; at the same time, Aria was standing next to him, as was Folco. If Frodo let on he had some feelings for Pearl… no, what was he doing? He knew better than to get himself in a fix over a girl. Oh, why bother!

“I’ll be back,” said Frodo. He informed Aria, “I’m going to talk to Pearl for a few, okay?”

“Okay,” said Aria. She beamed a smile at him.

Frodo was nearly entranced by Aria, too. Oh, why did she have to be so pretty? Moving down the aisle, Frodo met with Pearl. This time, he would see what she wanted.

Pearl said, enlightened to see him, “Frodo, did you enjoy the game?”

“Yeah, I did. How are you?” asked Frodo, curious.

“Well, right now I wonder where Pippin’s gone. He’s disappeared lately. Must be hanging around that Meriadoc,” said Pearl.

“Yeah, he is,” said Frodo.

“Would you check on Pippin for me, please?” asked Pearl.

“Well, I’ll meet him after the match. If I find him, I’ll tell him you’re looking for him,” said Frodo.

“Thanks Frodo. You’re so sweet,” said Pearl. She leaned in and pecked him on the cheek.

Aria gasped in disdain at the two. Why would Pearl give Frodo a kiss on the cheek? Wasn’t that what she was supposed to do? Oh, she would have a little talk with Frodo, that’s for sure. But no, she shouldn’t! Aria turned her gaze quickly to her tennis shoes. She was panicking. She knew she was, and yet she didn’t understand what was going on. Frodo had a crush on her, didn’t he? But then, she remembered him saying that he also had a crush on Pearl. Oh…

Stunned by the kiss, Frodo stumbled on his words as he said to Pearl, “Well… eh… goodbye.” He waved at her and rushed back to Aria, eager to get away from the giggling hobbitess.

Aria, still having mixed feelings, said, “Frodo.”

“Aria, I don’t think what happened between me and Pearl was serious. Wait… you knew?” asked Frodo.

“It wasn’t as though you were far away,” said Aria, a hint of jealousy in her voice.

“Look, nothing happened. Pearl only gave me a peck on the cheek,” said Frodo, his face flushing red in embarrassment. “I don’t know, Aria. I have a crush on you and I have a crush on Pearl. It’s not like anything will come of this.”

“I have a crush on you, too, Frodo,” said a familiar feminine voice behind Frodo.

“Huh?” asked Frodo, confused. As Aria peered over Frodo’s shoulder, Frodo spun around, only to find himself face-to-face with Pearl again. “Pearl, fancy that.”

Pearl giggled. She gladly admitted to Frodo, “Oh Frodo, you are the sweetest hobbit out there. I never knew you to be so sweet.”

Frodo, hoping to regain some ground, said, cheekily, “Well, maybe being sweet isn’t the only thing that sets my heart right.”

“Oh really? What does?” asked Pearl, very curious.

“Pranks and troublesome behavior; some that you have never seen before or witnessed,” said Frodo, feeling his cheekiness turning into awkwardness. What was wrong with him?

Aria let out a small giggle. She wanted to help Frodo along, but maybe at the same time it was better to watch Frodo figure out this new territory. She was curious to see how it turned out, but then what was she saying? She did eventually whisper in Frodo’s ear, “Try again.”

Frodo gave Pearl a cheeky smile. Except the cheekiness didn’t resolve the issue; it only made Pearl giggle more. She pecked him on the cheek once more, before departing after the crowd. Feeling mutilated, Frodo brushed his cheek hard several times, in an effort to remove the peck marks that Pearl imprinted there. Aria couldn’t help but giggle a bit. Yup, Frodo was definitely still avoiding girls. Absentmindedly, Aria brushed some fuzz and small threads of curly brown hair off of Frodo’s jacket. The effort made her blush furiously in embarrassment and stopped Frodo from brushing his cheek too much.

Frodo told her, politely, “Thanks.”

Aria said, “You’re welcome.”

The heated moment was broken by Folco, who said, “Well, on with homework and maybe lunch…” As he walked off, Folco told them, “Hey, you two coming?”

Frodo grinned. He said to Folco, cheerful and glad for the interruption, “Yes. I am just a simple hobbit lad looking for a meal. No way am I inclined to like girls.” Hoping to cure Aria’s little depressed mood, Frodo winked at her before regretting it. Still, he soon returned to Aria and helped bring her out of the Quidditch stadium.

It had certainly been a good, but interesting morning. But when Frodo met up with Harry, Ron and Hermione, Harry relayed to his three friends what he learned about the meeting between Snape and Quirrell. It turned out Snape was in fact after the Sorcerer’s Stone. Frodo hoped to tell Aria and his other friends about the Stone, but Ron held him back:

“Frodo, not everyone knows about the Stone.”

Harry added, “Besides, even if we wanted to talk about the Stone, it’d be too dangerous. Snape could learn what we’re up to.”

“But I only want to tell Aria,” said Frodo.

Hermione admitted, “Frodo, we can’t be sure if Aria will be up to our plans. She doesn’t like getting into trouble, and I doubt she would want to help us. It’s for the best we leave this only to us four.”

“You can’t be serious,” said Frodo.

“Would she agree?” asked Harry. “I know Anne, Amy and Abigail want to get involved, but they would give us away.”

“You don’t know that,” said Frodo.

“And neither do you. That’s the reason we can’t bring fangirls into our plan,” said Hermione. “It’s too dangerous.”

Frodo was doubtful. But they did have a point: Aria didn’t like getting into trouble, Anne was sensible but even she could be pretty loud, and then there was Amy and Abigail who might give them away. Plus, Frodo was still learning how to expand on his invisibility spell for hand magic. He had yet to expand it beyond himself to just one person, for now. Maybe it was too dangerous to invite more people.

Frodo nodded in agreement. “Right. Besides, I don’t know yet how to expand my invisibility for hand magic. I’ve tried, but it takes a lot more energy. I see your point.”

“Then you’ll keep quiet, except between us,” said Hermione.

Frodo nodded. “Yes. I’ll consider it.”

“Thank you, Frodo,” said Ron.

“Yeah, thanks,” said Harry.

“Don’t mention it,” said Frodo. He would inform his other friends about the Sorcerer’s Stone after he found it, or when he would travel with Harry, Ron and Hermione back to the Forbidden Corridor, whenever that was to happen.

o-o-o

Mr. Filch made his way to the step ladder leading to the Divination classroom. The room below the classroom was covered in puddles of water. Clicking the top of his mouth in sheer annoyance, Filch searched the room for a mop and a bucket. As he did, in replace of the mop, was a long blue hose.

“What is this doing here?” asked Filch, picking up the hose.

As soon as he touched the hose, its end turned into a giant pale nose, which sniffed him every which way. Annoyed, Filch threw the hose down. The nose sneezed, spewing out another set of water puddles. Filch cursed, wondering what vandals had replaced his mop with a nose hose.

While Filch searched for a mop and one of the teachers who could stop this hose menace, two figures darted down the corridor, keeping away from Filch at all costs. By the time they reached an empty room and closed it, the figures – Fred and George – laughed their heads off.

George admitted to his twin brother, “That was an impressive prank.”

“Yes, Zonko’s Joke Shop came up with a tributary prank. ‘Nose Your Hose’!” said Fred, waving his hand in the air as if the title of the prank meant something. “A brilliant prank, if I do say so myself. Filch will have his work cut out for him.”

At that, Fred and George laughed their heads off. They played their part well. Now they could tell Frodo, if he was willing, about another new prank they had set up for Snape. Whether Frodo was up to the task remained to be seen, but they knew it would be worth it having their young friend in on the action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fred and George’s “Nose Your Hose” prank was my idea that came up out of nowhere as I was writing their scene.


	42. Knocked Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naturally, last chapter I put my point-of-view in first. That was the previous chapter. This chapter we return to Frodo’s POV. Don’t worry. We’ll get into Frodo’s other friends and the other authoresses. And by now, you readers should know that we’ll be skipping ahead in time again. Hopefully, it’s still smooth transitions. Also, the prank coming up is actually DoctorWhovian18’s idea, which was in this story before, but now it’s back and better than ever. :)

Tuesday morning brought the usual antics. At noon, when he, Aria and Folco were eating lunch in the Great Hall, Frodo received a letter, flown in by his owl Prim, addressed to him from Bilbo. Eager to read Bilbo’s reply, Frodo broke the seal, pulled out the letter and unfolded it. He then read the fine inked handwriting until Aria read over his shoulder, upon which Frodo allowed her to read Bilbo’s letter too:

_Dear Frodo,_

_I received your letter shortly after noon, two weeks ago, but due to circumstances involving S.B.*, I had to wait until this morning to send a reply. Your letter was most distressful. You say you were given this mysterious book, and then you find out about this mysterious J.R.R. Tolkien, who wrote my novel._

_My dear lad, my novel is not yet completed. How on Eärendil did you find out all about my adventures? I haven’t said anything to you about the rest of my tales, nor did I know when I would allow you the chance to read them yet. You can read my novel if you want, when I am done, as well as snippets of my book, but nothing further. As to the actual events that did occur; well, my lad, I will leave things as they lay._

_As to this author, J.R.R. Tolkien, I may know something or someone that can assist you. When you have the chance, meet the wizard author Gilderoy Lockhart. He will guide you on the right course. That is all I will say. I hope to hear from you soon._

_Your uncle,_

_Bilbo_

“Gilderoy Lockhart?” asked Aria, astonished to hear the name. She handed the letter back to Frodo.

Frodo was curious. “What do you know of him?”

Aria only said, “Oh, you’ll see him soon.” But she didn’t specify the exact date.

Frodo shrugged as he folded the parchment. “Well, if there’s a chance I’ll meet him then I’ll gladly see if he knows anything about our mysterious author.” Finding himself caught in silence, Frodo broke it by asking Aria, “What are your plans this afternoon?”

“I’m not doing much except studying. Why?” asked Aria, curious.

Frodo inquired, “Well, I was wondering if you’d like to explore the castle grounds for a bit.”

“Frodo…” Aria was about to plead that she couldn’t, that school was more important. Somehow Frodo wasn’t convinced.

“Why not?” asked Frodo, curious and confused. “Aria, if you spend all your time studying, you’ll never amount to…”

“Frodo, how can you say that!” said Aria, raising her voice a little too loudly. Lowering it, she told Frodo, “Studying is important, you know. How else are we supposed to get into our second year if we don’t…”

“You’ve been hanging around Hermione too much,” said Frodo. He had to admit, though: Aria did have a point. He said, softly, “I know studying is important, but it’s too early to do any studying.”

“Is it?” asked Aria, growing worried.

Frodo nodded. “Yes. Wait until March, then we can group up.”

Folco chimed in at that. “All three of us, correct.”

Frodo hadn’t realized Folco was there. He nodded to him nonetheless, “Sure. If that’s what we’re going for.”

“Excellent. Us three working together,” said Folco, nearly spilling his pumpkin juice on his blue Hobbit school uniform.

Aria said to Frodo, in a kind manner, “Good luck on Saturday with your Quidditch match. I hope you beat Slytherin.”

Frodo grinned. “I hope so, too.” He continued eating his lunch, but would often find himself staring at Aria first, then Pearl, and then back to Aria. He couldn’t decide who he liked more… no, what was he doing?

o-o-o

Saturday was a leap year and the last day of the month. Ron knew his birthday was the following day, but what he hoped out of the Quidditch match between Ravenclaw versus Slytherin was Ravenclaw, Frodo’s team, beating Slytherin to the dust… well, that’s what he hoped. While Harry, Ron, Hermione and their friends – wizard and hobbit alike – made their way into the stands, Frodo was in the locker room, changing into his blue Quidditch robes, like his other teammates.

When that was done, he grabbed his Nimbus 2000 broomstick; it was his favorite broomstick from his parents. Yes, he supposed he liked Aria’s broomstick, but for a Quidditch match Frodo figured he needed a broomstick with speed and agility. This match against Slytherin might be rough. He just wanted to be prepared.

Unlike last time, where Frodo had zero participation in the match against Hufflepuff, Frodo made his way out to the field, accompanied by Timbers and his teammates. He couldn’t believe he was about to play Quidditch in an actual match. His insides turned over and over again. Making sure not to vomit, Frodo took several deep breaths. The last thing he wanted was to be sick before a match, especially against Slytherin. What made matters worse was Snape was referring this match, too.

It didn’t take long for the match to start. As soon as both teammates mounted their broomsticks and flew into the air, Snape threw the Quaffle. Slytherin Chaser Marcus Flint caught the Quaffle, dived under the Ravenclaw Chasers, and tossed the Quaffle into the lower left hoop with brute force. Slytherin won ten points easy. Cheers were heard from the Slytherin house, but no applause anywhere else in the stadium.

Lee Jordan commentated on Slytherin’s early victory: “Slytherin sure knows a thing or two about brutality. Maybe they should meet my dog. He’d give them a real…”

“Jordan!” cried Professor McGonagall, in an effort to stop the snide remarks.

“Sorry professor,” said Jordan, apologizing.

Frodo let out a small chuckle. At least Jordan’s commentary helped ease the tension in the stadium. Remembering where he was, Frodo scanned the area for the Snitch. Although he wanted to be in on the action, Frodo did all he could to avoid being hit by Bludgers or the Slytherin team. He could admit he was scared. Doing something involving crowds was not what he favored. Being in the crowd and observing was one thing, but this was totally different…

“Another ten points for Slytherin!” said Jordan through the speaker, groaning at the thought that Slytherin might win the match easy.

No, Frodo needed to pull himself together. Aria was watching, but then so was Pearl. He knew this was important, to prove how skilled a Quidditch player he was, no matter if he were a Seeker. Well, being Seeker did mean something…

“Was that the Snitch?” asked Jordan.

Frodo’s eyes went wide in awe. There was no question, no doubt about it: he had seen a glint of gold pass his vision. Zooming in after the glint of gold, Frodo was intercepted by the Slytherin Seeker, Terrence Higgs. Frodo did his best to chase after Higgs and, more importantly, the Snitch, but found his broomstick wasn’t working. Doing everything he could to speed up, only to see he was slowing down, Frodo soon found himself colliding into Flint. Flint escaped the collision, but Frodo smacked his head against one of the tower walls…

_Frodo…_

_He could hear his name being called. Was this a dream? Where was he… where…_

“Frodo!” called Aria. Yes, she was clearer now. She called him again, “Frodo?!” She spoke to another person, “Oh good, he’s awake.”

“Ten points from Ravenclaw for laziness,” said Snape, sneering at Frodo.

Frodo looked around him. He was still on the Quidditch field. Yes, he had to be, since the towers were still there. What was he doing on the ground? Feeling his head, Frodo found it throbbing, but not badly. How long was he unconscious? He soon learned his answer:

“You missed the end of the match, Frodo,” said Fred. “Slytherin beat Ravenclaw hard.”

“So we lost, again,” said Frodo, feeling worse, even with the house points lost.

Aria told Frodo, knowing what to do, “Come on. Let’s get you to the Hospital Wing.”

Frodo wasn’t sure who helped him reach the Hospital Wing, but what he did know was that he was still in his Quidditch robes. Madam Hooch looked him over for any head injuries. Fortunately for Frodo and due to a spell Dumbledore spoke just before Frodo landed on the ground, there weren’t any wounds to be accounted for.

When she was done with her examination, Madam Pomfrey informed Frodo, “You can stay here until you are ready to leave, but inform me at once if you are better.”

Frodo could hardly say two words, but nodding helped in this case. He hardly paid attention to Aria’s words or to anyone at the moment. The only part he could remember, when looking back on Ravenclaw’s match against Slytherin was him smacking into the tower wall and having been sent to the Hospital Wing. Soon enough, Frodo found himself fast asleep.

x-x-x

The second Frodo closed his eyelids, feeling the tendrils of sleep swiftly hit him, Aria departed out of the Hospital Wing with their friends. Harry, Ron and Hermione had other things to discuss, and with Anne, Abigail and Amy heading into the Hospital Wing with Sam, Merry and Pippin, Aria was left alone with Fred and George. Although Aria was eager to meet the twin pranksters, just being there with them felt a little intimidating and awkward. Fred and George hardly said anything with Aria next to them for several seconds.

George eventually broke the silence, asking his brother, “Fred, I think the Slytherins need to pay for what they did to Frodo.”

“George, I couldn’t agree more,” said Fred, already coming up with a plan.

“What are you going to do?” asked Aria, curious and concerned.

George, gazing down at Aria, said in a polite manner, “Aria, why don’t you look after Frodo?”

“But I want to know what you two are planning,” said Aria.

“Should we get Aria involved in our plans?” asked George.

Fred shook his head. “No George. Aria’ll give us away.”

George agreed, “Right.”

Facing Aria again, Fred told her, “Aria, Frodo needs you right now. We know you like him and he likes you, in a manner of speaking.”

“What Fred is trying to say is that we feel it best that you should stick by Frodo’s side until he is better. Does that sound fair?” asked George.

Aria knew when she was being left out. She said, giving up, “All right.” Falling silent, Aria looked at the Weasley twins one last time before returning into the Hospital Wing.

Once Aria was gone, Fred said in relief, “Finally. Now we can work on our plan.”

“Let’s make it something the Slytherins won’t forget,” said George.

o-o-o

The Slytherin House was supposed to have their victory celebration down in the dungeons. What was found instead, to Professor Snape’s surprise and anguish, were the Slytherin students hiccoughing uncontrollably. Entering the Slytherin Common Room, Snape searched for students who weren’t attacked by this hiccoughing rage. In vain, Snape came across Lotho, who was hiccoughing like mad.

Lotho complained to his teacher and Head of House. “Professor – HIC – Snape – HIC – you need – HIC – to stop – HIC – this! HIC! Why is this – HIC – happening?”

“Well, don’t just stand there, Lotho. Help me find the culprit,” said Snape, frustrated at this display.

Lotho gave it some thought, but also two hiccoughs protruded from his mouth. He answered, “I don’t – HIC HIC – remember. I–”

Snape grabbed Lotho by the nape of his jacket and dress shirt. “Come with me.”

On cue, Draco Malfoy approached Snape, hiccoughing too. “Professor – HIC – what’s going – HIC HIC – on?”

“You too, Draco,” said Snape. “Hurry along.”

Whoever was concocting his Hiccoughing Sweet – of course, a prankster that bought sweets from Zonko’s Joke Shop. He did not know who the culprit was, but Snape was certain he would find out.

o-o-o

On the Second Floor, while doing his mopping, Filch was surprised by all the Slytherins hiccoughing. He assumed it was Fred and George’s doing, but then Frodo Baggins, the first year Halfling, was probably up to his tricks, too. Oh, he would get the three students; yes, he would!

As if they had been called, Fred and George approached Filch. They had something special planned for him, too.

Fred told Filch, as if admiring him, “Oh, what good timing to meet you, Filch! You’re the best cleaner we know for the job.”

Filch huffed. “And what, pray tell, is the job?”

“We have these sweets especially made for you,” said George, passing to Filch the chocolate box. “Enjoy.”

Fred and George wandered down the hallway, chuckling very softly. Filch, unsure why the Weasley twins would hand him sweets, found a chair and unwrapped the box. The sweets looked harmless, but Filch wondered what the twin brothers’ scheme was this time. Still, he had to thank the twins for admiring his work. Maybe just one sweet…

“NO! HIC! I’ll get – HIC – you Weasleys – HIC! Yes I will – HIC!” cried Filch, speeding down the corridors.

Filch had yet to find Fred and George, but when he did, he would surely make them pay for this treason. It had been an hour since he ate the sweets, but Filch’s hiccoughing was uncontrollable. He knew he shouldn’t have eaten those sweets, and yet…

Oh wait! Here was one culprit now.

Approaching Frodo Baggins, who was now back in his Hobbit uniform, Filch demanded, “There you – HIC – are, you little – HIC HIC – sneak – HIC – thief! HIC!”

“What did I do?” asked Frodo, being sincere and doing his best not to laugh.

“Don’t – HIC – give me – HIC – that. You know – HIC – very well – HIC – what you – HIC – did,” said Filch, putting his hands on his hips. He was going to get this hobbit boy expelled.

Frodo said, alarmed, “Mr. Filch, I didn’t do anything. I was just…”

“BOO!” cried Merry and Pippin, leaping out from behind a suit of armor.

Filch gave one last hiccough. To his surprise, the hiccoughs stopped; however, it did not stop his disdain towards any pranksters, be they students or otherwise. Although he was relieved the hiccoughs ended, Filch told the three hobbits, growing more frustrated, “Why did you do that, you little Halflings?”

“Little does not excuse our _big_ surprise,” said Merry, putting emphasis on the word ‘big’.

“But the best way to end hiccoughing is to scare them,” said Pippin, pointing out like a studious hobbit.

Filch told the three hobbits, furious, “I’LL GET YOU!”

Frodo, Merry and Pippin managed a running start. Thankful that Filch could not keep up with their speed, the three hobbit boys fled up the Grand Staircase to the seventh-floor corridor. Glad to be in the empty corridor, the trio broke into laughter. Although Frodo had been out of the Hospital Wing for two hours now, he was relieved that Fred and George got back at the Slytherins. This was their best prank yet.

When they calmed down, Frodo told his friends, cheerful, “Wow. Fred and George sure know when to pull off good pranks.”

“You do, too, Frodo,” said Merry.

“Right. I do,” said Frodo, nearly forgetting that he too was responsible for the school’s pranks. “Well, I was asleep for the duration of the pranking today. It looks as though I didn’t miss much.”

“I’ll say,” said Pippin, chiming in. “Where was the famous prankster, Frodo Baggins, when we needed him?”

“Pippin, that’s giving him too much credit,” said Merry.

“Famous, eh?” asked Frodo, liking the sound of the word. But when he truly came to think on it, he realized he didn’t want fame. No, he could leave fame to those who deserved it… well maybe he could have fifteen minutes worth of fame… Frodo cracked a grin. It was so nice to have friends that cared for him and could always be counted on. He felt very privileged.

Changing the subject, not wanting to ponder on the word ‘fame’ too much, Frodo asked his two hobbit friends, “So, what are your plans for tonight?”

“Well…” Pippin explained a few things, including studying. However, the thought of studying made him, as well as Merry and Frodo, laugh. He knew he would get into studying when he could, but for now he was happy to be with his friends.

That was all that mattered, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I must say this chapter turned out better than I thought. And it’s well worth the wait. Now, the next few chapters we’ll be doing some major skipping ahead. I know I can feel the ending of this story coming, but I’m still going to do my best to smooth out the transitions.
> 
> Footnotes:
> 
> *This reference is actually found in _The Lord of the Rings_ book trilogy. The abbreviation S.B. stands for Sackville-Baggins, but those who remember this abbreviation from reading the books will already know what it means.


	43. Small Study Groups

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With what happened in the timeline for Quidditch, I was looking up Harry Potter Lexicon’s calendar for the Quidditch matches held. Really, it should have been in reverse, but now there won’t be Quidditch matches until May, according to this story. So yeah, the only part that is my fault is which timeline for Quidditch matches I should have followed. The second section for this chapter is one that was given to me by DoctorWhovian18 and Pippin Took. Yes, I know that sounds weird to put Pippin as one of the idea-givers, but there you go.

Ron could admit he had an all right birthday. Although his brothers picked on him, Harry gave him a few gifts. Hermione knew just the gift to give Ron: an organized planner. Frodo had a few things to give to Ron as well: a carved rabbit, a carved cat, and using his hand magic a detailed handheld portrait of the hills of Hobbiton, which Ron appreciated. In all, that Sunday, the first of March, proved to be a good birthday.

As for why the Quidditch matches between Ravenclaw and Slytherin, as well as Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were so close together that year, Frodo learned from Professor Flitwick that for that year, unlike normal scheduling, the matches had to be moved close together. The same thing would occur, but a little more spread out, come May. Flitwick did wish the Ravenclaw team luck for their practice sessions, and that Frodo had better hand-eye coordination.

Frodo still had a hard time coming to grips that Ravenclaw lost the match again. His only relief was that Hufflepuff also suffered two loses. Maybe if he were lucky, Ravenclaw could finally win a match, but it was against Gryffindor. Frodo wondered if he would have any luck beating Harry.

Harry gave Frodo a little pep talk one morning in March, “Frodo, Quidditch is important to both of us. When we do play in a real match together, we’ll see who’ll win.”

Frodo asked, “You’re not going to throw the match then.”

Harry was stunned. “No.” He recovered, admitting even to himself, “Well, I hope you don’t throw the match, Frodo. You’ve been doing poorly.”

“Yeah, but you’re the famous one among us. Doesn’t the weight bother you?” asked Frodo.

“I might ask you the same question,” said Harry.

“You’re not famous, Frodo,” said Ron, chiming in.

“No, but…” Frodo tried again. “Look Harry, we both want to win the Quidditch match. But you know it’s just a game.”

“Maybe you should improve,” said Ron.

“Ron,” said Hermione, surprised at Ron’s behavior.

Frodo said in his defense, “Look, I know Ravenclaw has done poorly so far. We’ll bounce back.”

“Not with Harry beating match after match,” said Ron.

“Besides, we’ve both got Nimbus 2000s. Maybe luck will turn on your side, but then Gryffindor has to win,” said Harry. “We need to beat Slytherin.”

Frodo had to admit Harry had a point. After all, Slytherin house was responsible, particularly Terrence Higgs, for knocking Frodo unconscious. Losing to Slytherin really wasn’t Frodo’s fault, it was theirs. He knew better than to get worked up over something, didn’t he? After all, his friends wouldn’t abandon him. Ron was just being Ron.

Harry asked him, “Frodo, you okay?”

“Yeah,” said Frodo, doing his best to collect himself.

Harry admitted, “But you do have a point. Quidditch is a game, but it is important to all of us.”

Frodo nodded. “Yeah, it is.” He asked Harry, extending a hand, “Shall we call it evens?”

Harry shook it. “Evens.”

“Good. Now on with our studying,” said Hermione.

Harry and Ron right away complained. Frodo chuckled, enjoying this argument. True, he would like to study… well, now that he thought on it, maybe it was time to find Aria and begin their study group. Leaving the trio alone, giving them a farewell for the day or the hour, Frodo left the corridor in search of Aria.

o-o-o

The following Tuesday Flitwick returned Frodo’s broomstick, jinx-free. Frodo was delighted to have it back. Now he could play Quidditch. And once more, Professor Flitwick wished Frodo good luck. Frodo took it with such excitement. He would now be back practicing for the match against Gryffindor, which now felt in the near future.

On Thursday morning, as Frodo and Aria discussed at the Ravenclaw table what they would be studying next, Pippin scooted next to Amy/DoctorWhovian18, while she was eating her breakfast. It was time for the two have a decent conversation; after all, they spent so much time with Merry and Abigail/LOTCR, but Pippin felt the need to just talk with only him and his authoress.

Amy was stunned to see him. “Pippin, that’s quite an entrance you’ve made. What can I do for you?” Amy was always willing to help those in need, even friends.

Pippin said, truthfully, “Well, Merry and me have been spending a lot of time together. Yes, I do like the fact that we four are hanging out, but we haven’t had the chance to talk.”

Amy had to agree with him. “You have a point there.” Cheering herself up, she asked the hobbit boy, “What do you want to talk about?”

Pippin explained, “Well, author stuff. I can give you a list of ingredients useful for pranking.”

“Pippin, I’m working on making descriptive writing, not a list of ingredients,” said Amy, correcting him.

Pippin shrugged. “It was a suggestion.”

Amy chuckled. “Oh Pippin, if you really want to discuss pranks, I’m game.”

“You are? Great, because I have a few pranks to go over with you…” Pippin went into an in-depth explanation on how many pranks he would like to pull off for his second year.

Merry shook his head. He couldn’t believe how much trouble Pippin could get himself into. He informed Abigail, “Pippin’s losing it.”

“Maybe he should invite us for a prank war,” said Abigail.

“Maybe we should prank Amy and Pippin. What say you?” asked Merry, whispering in Abigail’s ear.

Abigail raised an eyebrow. She would love a good prank war. She nodded in agreement, as Merry went over his ideas for pranking. Some ideas Abigail wrote down. She could not disappoint Merry, not for anything. This next prank war was going to be fun. Abigail had a feeling it would be quite exhilarating.

Over at the Hufflepuff table, Sam moved to sit next to Anne/ValueMyHeart, if only for a little while. Anne was surprised to see him, but at the same time welcomed his presence. It was nice to see Sam getting out of his shell, as she was doing the same.

Anne said, “Sam, hello.”

“Hello Miss Anne. I came to ask if you have any more questions for me,” said Sam, shuffling his feet a little too rapidly. It wasn’t just girls he was timid over, but everyone. He wasn’t used to getting out of his shell. Just walking up to someone and talking to them was a first for him, but then he helped Mr. Frodo at the beginning of the year against Lotho.

Anne nodded. She knew this moment would come. “Sure. How’s your progress with making friends? How are you doing, Sam?”

“Oh…” Sam shuffled his feet more. He eventually admitted, “It’s going w-well. Yes. Mr. Frodo and I are getting along. Mr. Frodo and Miss Aria are a lot braver than me.”

“I’ve noticed that,” said Anne. “But how is your friendship with Frodo? That’s what I’m asking.”

“We’re doing good, Miss Anne. Yes,” said Sam.

“Is that all?” asked Anne, hoping to hear more news.

“Well, I don’t like it that Mr. Frodo’s gotten himself into pranking. Miss Aria can vouch for me,” said Sam.

“But what are your thoughts,” said Anne.

Sam felt as though he was forced into a corner. “I…” Feeling this was the wrong time for this, Sam darted away from Anne, back to his family. But even with his family, Sam felt like the very shy, timid sort of hobbit. He gazed back at Anne, as Anne waved, gesturing him to come back. Knowing he didn’t want to insult anyone, Sam returned to Anne and sat down beside her. Sam was better than this, wasn’t he? Oh!

o-o-o

Fredegar Bolger walked down the seldom crowded corridor. He was eager to find out what became of Folco. Under given circumstances, even though they hadn’t really chatted, Fredegar knew Folco was Frodo’s friend. Therefore, Folco was Fatty’s friend too. Fredegar at last tracked Folco down the Transfiguration courtyard, but Folco was eager to see where Frodo had gone.

Fredegar asked Folco, the moment he caught up to him, “Folco, I’m glad to have caught you.”

“Freddy, you’re looking thin, or fat,” said Folco, cheekily.

“Don’t call me Freddy! It’s Fatty or Fredegar, but not Freddy!” complained Fredegar, clearly peeved out of annoyance for the use of a nickname not his.

Folco chuckled. “All right, settle down Fredegar, Fatty, Fatty Lumpkin*.”

Fredegar was really peeved now. “Folco, mind your manners!”

Folco said, shaking his head, “Oh Fatty, you need to calm down. I was joking.”

Fredegar huffed, but sighed in relief. “So, how about we have a study session? Our exams are important, you know.”

Folco chuckled. “Yes, I know, Fatty. But with all this preparation for exams; honestly, some of us need time to unwind. You could do so yourself.”

“Won’t you study with me? As friends,” said Fredegar, being polite.

“Well…” Folco stopped upon hearing cheery laughter. He gazed at Frodo, who was with Aria. The two looked so happy. Of course, Frodo spent half his time ignoring Folco. These days, Folco felt as if they were becoming distant. Maybe it was natural. In the end, Folco returned his gaze to Fatty and said, chipper, “Sure Fatty. Let’s study… away from this courtyard. I think it’s occupied.”

“Oh,” said Fatty, his gaze now turned to Frodo and Aria. Nodding, Fatty asked Folco as they walked down the corridor, “So Folco, I was wondering you like to play chess…” Fatty continued having a good conversation with Folco, who proved to be a merry sort of hobbit boy. They got along well, even as they left the Transfiguration Courtyard for the Herbology corridor.

Frodo, meanwhile, worked with Aria in their little study group. True, they didn’t have the same classes, but both were determined to ask each other study questions. This was good practice, for they didn’t know what was going to be on their final exams.

Aria asked Frodo, while reading through the Potion instructions, “What three ingredients are crucial to mixing a Forgetfulness Potion?”

“Valerian sprigs, mistletoe berries and… Lethe River Water,” said Frodo, unsure about the last ingredient.

Aria checked the ingredients over in Frodo’s textbook. She nodded. “Good memory.”

Frodo perked up, a grin seeping on his face. He got it right. Good. He might just pass Potions’ class.

Aria asked him, keeping a finger on the page, “Okay, my turn.” She was eager to get a question right.

Frodo checked Aria’s spelling textbook for a word. He gave it to her, “All right. What’s the definition for the word ‘holly’?”

Aria did her best to answer, “A green-leafed plant that grows on trees.”

Frodo let a small grin crease his face. He said, “Be more specific.”

Aria tried again, thinking hard on the answer, “A plant whose leaves and berries are used for Christmas. It’s more of a traditional plant used in the winter season, quite useful for decoration.”

Frodo gave her the correct answer: “Holly is a shrub, but you are right about its leaves and berries, also its branches, being used during the Christmas holidays.”

Aria nearly panicked. She was close, but not close enough. How was she supposed to pass her classes if she couldn’t get an answer just the way her teachers wanted? Frodo rubbed her back, holding her close in an effort of friendship. Aria was too uptight for her own good.

Frodo told her, calming her down somewhat, “Relax Aria. It’s just an exam.”

“No, school is important. It’s…”

“Aria, is school really what matters? There’s more to life than just school. Why do you think I wanted you to joke around more,” said Frodo. Chuckling softly, he told her, “We’ll stop studying for the day. I think you need a break.”

“But Frodo…”

“Aria, let’s stop and recuperate,” said Frodo, closing Aria’s textbook and passing it back to her. Aria did the same. His hand never left Aria’s back as Aria put her book inside her satchel. He asked her, feeling a little braver, “How are you today? No, really?”

Aria explained. “Stressed. If I don’t pass these exams, I won’t get into second year. I just… I just…”

Frodo said, “Aria, you’re overreacting. Breathe.”

Aria did as she was told. As she took slow, deep breaths, Aria felt herself relax a bit. She was making the situation larger than it was, and acting like Hermione in the process. Aria still admired Hermione. It’s just she couldn’t understand how Hermione could study this far in advance.

Aria admitted to Frodo, “I don’t see why we’re studying this far ahead. We’re not Hermione.”

“You’re right about that,” said Frodo. “Are you trying to reach Hermione’s way of thinking?” Aria nodded, but this was not what Frodo had in mind. He said, serious, “You shouldn’t do that. Hermione’s her own self. You’re you.”

“Should we really be studying this far ahead?” asked Aria, wondering what was the point.

Frodo admitted, “We’re doing it in blocks, Aria. I just don’t want to see you stressed out.”

“You don’t seem stressed,” said Aria.

Frodo said, “Oh, but I am. What with Quidditch, homework, studying with you, hanging out with my friends – including you – my work load is loaded. I hardly have time to think of what else to do. Maybe that’s what’s important. Don’t you think so?”

“I always did like having a balance. Thanks Frodo,” said Aria.

“That’s what friends are for,” said Frodo, patting Aria on the back.

Frodo moved his hand off her back before things became too awkward and weird. He felt so strange and yet calm. But he had to keep himself in check: Aria was only his friend, nothing weird was happening between them. Then why did his heart flutter whenever he was with her? There was so much to ask, but he didn’t really have time to question things. Maybe that was the way of it. How should he know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter feels more like a filler chapter, doesn’t it? I don’t know how many filler chapters there will be coming up, but we’ll see. The definition matter is practically something I would do, since I had to go by memory when writing it here, at least until I looked it up and jotted it down again in this chapter.
> 
> Footnotes:
> 
> *Fatty Lumpkin was actually the name of one of Tom Bombadil’s ponies. This particular pony can be found in _The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring_ book. For the record, I didn’t even know I recalled this name.


	44. Norbert's Hatching

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to Frodo’s idea, there’s not a lot of activity that goes on in April, besides the various prank wars occurring between my two friend authoresses, DoctorWhovian18 and LOTCR, Merry and Pippin. However, there won’t be much revealed about the second prank war, as you’ll read below. Also, we’ve come to an important part in the first Harry Potter book; well, one important event.

Even though Aria had a hard time studying and adjusting to life with friends, she and Frodo continued their studying through the rest of March and well into April. While studying did take up parts of their daily lives, it allowed Frodo the chance to get to know Aria better, and vice versa. They each found themselves becoming closer as friends; however, Frodo made time for his other friends, too, same as Aria, especially when they each missed talking to them.

Frodo also spent half his time talking more to Harry, Ron and Hermione, which drove Aria and their other friends mad. Although Aria was eager to press Frodo, as Abigail and Amy were doing, Aria was eventually shut out of asking so many questions by Frodo.

Frodo informed Aria at the end of March, “Aria, I know you like to pry, but Harry, Ron and Hermione are my friends and…”

“Why can’t I know what’s going on? Why so secretive?” asked Aria.

Frodo said, “Because if I told you, you would either not believe me or tattle. I don’t want either and that’s why I’m not saying anything.”

“But Frodo…”

Frodo raised a hand. “Aria, we’re friends, I know, but you’d squeal on me if I said anything.”

“But why the secrecy?” asked Aria, growing alarmed. “Why can’t I know?”

Frodo sighed behind his teeth. “You still have a lot to learn about secrecy. I’m sorry. I can’t tell you, not until the matter is settled.”

“Frodo, friendship is based on trust and understanding. What have you to hide from me?” asked Aria.

Frodo wanted to cave, tell Aria about the Stone, but he couldn’t. “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you. We can talk about other matters, just not this. All right?”

Aria somehow knew what Frodo was talking about with Harry, Ron and Hermione. For the sake of not affecting the timeline, she agreed, knowing this was the biggest secret she would have to keep from Frodo. “Okay. But next time, include me in on your adventures.”

“How could you know…” Frodo recalled not saying anything.

Aria recovered, “Maybe I don’t, but…” She was about to walk away, when Frodo grabbed her hand. “Frodo, we’re just friends.”

“I know. Its five months now. We shouldn’t press each other. But I need to know if you’ll keep quiet for a while,” said Frodo.

“Wouldn’t you like to spend more time with Harry, Ron and Hermione?” asked Aria, a little tense.

Frodo said in his defense, “Why can’t I spend time with you?”

“But you just said…”

“That’s just for the matter I’m discussing with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Of course, we can still talk together, all of us, as friends,” said Frodo. “I just don’t want to lose you, not over this matter.”

Aria pitied him. Resting a hand on his arm, Aria said, calmly, “I’m sorry.” She lowered her head, a bit sad over keeping a secret.

Frodo raised her chin to where their eyes met. “Don’t be. I’m glad to have met you.” Before it got too weird, Frodo patted Aria’s leg, informing her, “Now, let’s get going. We want to make it to the Great Hall in time for lunch.”

“Yeah,” said Aria, grinning at him. She knew she cared for Frodo, even though the feeling was strange to her, and yet also comforting. Maybe it was better she not find out what those feelings meant. Joining Frodo, Aria followed him past the door and down the spiral staircase. They weren’t late for lunch, but at the same time neither had a very long conversation, or so they thought.

o-o-o

The second prank war commenced without remorse from either Amy/DoctorWhovian18 or Abigail/LOTCR. Merry and Pippin were impressed at how well they could pull off pranks. First the bubbles in the fifth-floor corridor, done by Merry and Abigail, then the spitting crocodiles on the second-floor corridor, thanks Pippin and Amy; in all, the four were having fun, but the fun wasn’t over yet, for Merry and Pippin each had one final prank to share against each other on the morning of April 24th, shortly after they each finished eating a quick breakfast.

When either side was ready, as were Amy and Abigail, Merry and Abigail bumped into Pippin and Amy. It was something, surprisingly, all four were ready for.

“Excuse me,” said Amy.

“I’m sorry,” said Abigail.

“Oh,” said Merry and Pippin in unison.

“Well bye,” said the four altogether.

Just as they were walking down the corridor, Amy and Pippin stopped and checked their pockets. What they found were two dwarf hamsters, which Amy found quite cute. Pippin nodded, impressed but still mischievous:

“Well Merry, Abigail, maybe you should check your pockets,” said Pippin.

Merry and Abigail did just that. Only when they checked their pockets, Abigail was in for a shriek. What they found were two tree frogs. Abigail allowed hers to hop to the floor, but it was Merry who used his hand magic to make the tree frog vanish. Catching the frog before it hopped away, Merry did the same to his, but also had another trick up his sleeve: he used his hand magic to make the two dwarf hamsters vanish in Pippin and Amy’s hands.

Disappointed, as Amy’s face scrunched in agony, Pippin asked Merry, “Why did you do that?”

Merry shrugged. “You put frogs in Abigail’s pocket and mine. Is that your trademark prank?”

“I like tree frogs,” said Pippin.

“I can tell,” said Amy.

“So can I,” said Abigail.

Merry shook his head at Pippin. Approaching the hobbit, Merry told him, “Pippin, when are you going to learn: Frodo’s the best prankster, and you’re obsessed with tree frogs.”

Pippin pretended to be innocent. “Merry, I am very keen of pulling my own pranks.”

“That involves tree frogs,” said Merry.

Amy stood next to Abigail. She asked her, “How long are they going to be arguing?”

“I don’t know. Let’s watch the fun!” said Abigail, keen on listening to Merry and Pippin’s dispute.

Amy shrugged. She did not know why, but this argument Merry and Pippin were concocting was rather amusing. Tree frogs indeed.

Pippin told Merry, “Merry, I don’t see what’s wrong with using tree frogs for pranking. They’re fun.”

“I can imagine. But next time, broaden your pranking,” said Merry.

“Like you with hamsters,” said Pippin.

“It was a nice gesture. Our ruse for ending the prank war here, before the end of the year,” said Merry.

“I thought they were cute,” said Abigail.

“As did I. Why did you make them vanish?” asked Amy, crossing her arms.

Merry exclaimed, “Because when Pippin brought out those tree frogs, I…”

Aria asked Frodo from the corner, very softly, “How long are they going to go on arguing like this?”

“I don’t know. Typical,” said Frodo, whispering back. “We might as well leave them alone. I’m sure they’ll resolve it.”

“Unless you want to intervene,” said Aria.

Frodo shook his head. “They’ll work it out. They always do.”

Aria had to admit, she could agree with him. It was a rather pointless argument, which to her surprise ended in happiness about a few moments later. She grinned from ear to ear, glad the four worked things out. Once the moment passed, Aria followed Frodo back the way they had come. Frodo knew things would work out for Merry and Pippin; he had high hopes they were becoming good friends. Amy and Abigail reminded him of Merry and Pippin, but then Frodo couldn’t help being reminded of him and hopefully Sam for Aria, Anne and Amy. At least, this was his hope.

However, Frodo didn’t have much time to dwell on this. He had agreed with Harry, Ron and Hermione to visit Hagrid again. The trio somehow knew Frodo was meant to be there with them for a big surprise. Actually, it was Harry and Ron’s idea that Frodo come, even though Hermione said against it, realizing that Frodo had gotten himself into enough trouble for the year. Frodo, on the other hand, was too excited to see what the surprise was that Hagrid was keeping at his hut. He resolved not to let Aria in on this news, seeing as Hermione had a point: Ravenclaw couldn’t afford to lose more house points.

x-x-x

When his Magical Theory class was let out, Frodo scrambled getting his books, ink bottle and quill inside his satchel. He darted out of class so quick his fellow classmates had to move out of the way. Frodo could not afford to waste time, not when the surprise Hagrid was keeping was so close. Minutes passed before he came onto the grounds, and even then Frodo did not stop there. Huffing and puffing, while taking small breaks to regain his strength, Frodo at last made it to Hagrid’s Hut, but in the process ran past Harry, Ron and Hermione. He was the first to arrive.

“Frodo, yer made it faster than I thought. We’ll wait fer Harry, Ron and Hermione to come,” said Hagrid.

Moments later, the trio approached the hut, exhausted from their run but determined to see what was inside. Hagrid welcomed the four inside his home. As Frodo had spent some days at Hagrid’s, he hardly knew what the giant was keeping locked tight. Inside, and to Frodo’s great surprise, was a large, black egg with long cracks forming on its shell. He stopped in his tracks, as Harry, Ron and Hermione moved past him, staring at the egg in awe. Frodo had seen small eggs in the Shire, but he never expected to see an egg so big. Whatever was inside the egg, Frodo guessed this was the surprise Hagrid wanted to show him and his friends.

Frodo asked, cautious about moving closer, “Hagrid, what’s in that?”

“It’s a Norwegian Ridgeback,” said Ron. He received no response from Frodo, who was still confused. Ron explained in simpler terms, “A dragon.”

“Dragon? Bilbo said they were wiped out long ago,” said Frodo. He was thinking of home again.

Hagrid admitted, “The dragons here ain’t.”

“Yeah. Loads of them are found in Romania,” said Ron. He encouraged the hobbit boy, “You’re all right. He won’t bite you.”

Frodo grunted nervously. Of course dragons could bite, but he knew Ron was joking… or was he? Brushing off the thought, Frodo slowly approached the table, bringing a chair with him.

There was a moment of silence, with movement coming from the egg. Then the egg broke open, revealing a baby dragon with black scales, which reminded Frodo of the egg’s color. This was the first time Frodo ever saw a dragon up close. He admitted he heard Bilbo tell of a dragon he encountered. Frodo was both excited and terribly afraid upon meeting this particular dragon, baby or no. A Norwegian Ridgeback it was called…

“Isn’t he _beautiful_?” asked Hagrid, murmuring his excitement. As he stroked the dragon’s head, it snapped at him. This made Hagrid more delighted.

Frodo couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He said, cheekily, “Next thing you know, Hagrid, you’ll give him a name.”

“I think I will,” said Hagrid, eagerness glowing in his eyes.

Frustrated, Frodo said, “I was joking!” He was cut off, right as Hagrid and Harry darted to the window and the door. He asked, “What is it?”

Harry said, approaching the table, “Malfoy knows Hagrid has a dragon. He’s spotted us, too.”

“Are you sure, Harry?” asked Ron.

Harry nodded. There was no doubt in his eyes. He had seen Malfoy run across the grounds, away from the hut. Frodo returned his gaze to the dragon, but his mind was on how many house points Ravenclaw would lose this time. Well, there was no stopping whatever happened now. He just hoped Aria was in a good mood… no, he needed to make careful thinking. But how long did he have? No, it was better Hagrid get rid of the dragon as soon as possible, before someone found out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do hope the transitions worked and this chapter didn’t move too quickly. It didn’t feel like it was moving fast, and at the same time there was a span of time that took place here. Next chapter will be the Quidditch match Hufflepuff has against Slytherin. I do hope I can expand on what words to use for the Snitch.


	45. Sneaking Up the Astronomy Tower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I did my research: according to the Harry Potter Wiki, Hufflepuff did not play in their final match for the Inter-House Quidditch Cup. So, this means we won’t see this last match for Hufflepuff or Slytherin for this story. But we will see the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, as I know that appears in the books. For now, feel free to read on. Also, as I didn’t look up Sam’s birthday until today, I realized Sam’s birthday is not May 1st but April 6th. So, I’ve fixed it now. :)

Exactly a week after the Norwegian Ridgeback hatched, Frodo found time to celebrate Sam’s birthday. Frodo found Sam as soon as he ate breakfast and handed him a gift: his very own collection of seeds, of plants found in England. Frodo made sure to get the seeds the previous day from Professor Sprout. Sam was impressed.

Frodo reminded him, “For when you get back to the Shire. They’re yours.”

“Thanks,” said Sam.

“So, what are your plans today?” Frodo asked, “Anything special?”

“Just my siblings celebratin’ my birthday; same thing every year,” said Sam, sheepish.

“Well have a good birthday, Sam,” said Frodo.

“Have a good day, Mr. Frodo,” said Sam in reply.

It turned out that throughout the day, Sam received various gifts from both Hufflepuffs and his siblings. Even Merry and Pippin pitched in, granting Sam his very own mini-prank, which was actually an owl that turned into a shrew. Sam laughed merrily at the gift. As the day passed, Sam received more gifts from his family, living in the Shire. Sam could admit this was a grand birthday.

During lunch, that same day, Frodo received a strange note by owl from Bilbo:

_Dear Frodo,_

_I must tell you the news! I don’t know how you’ll take it. Samwise Gamgee is born this year to Hamfast, or as we call him the Gaffer, and Bell Goodchild-Gamgee. Sam’s birthday, ironically, is April 6 th._

_I am sorry this letter is not longer, but I thought I should tell you. Seeing as you already know Sam at Hogwarts, it would be unwise to inform him as he grows up here. But if you want him to know, the decision is yours. I don’t know what might happen if you do._

_Hope to hear from you soon, dear cousin._

_Love, your uncle,_

_Bilbo_

This particular letter made Frodo feel very nervous. Great, now he had two secrets to keep quiet. But he knew Aria was too nosy for her own good. Maybe he would tell her… or maybe not. Why did there have to be such tough decisions?

Aria did ask him, casually, “Whose it from?”

Frodo said, a little hesitant, “Eh, Bilbo. He brought me more news from home.”

“What of?” asked Aria.

He should have known as much. However, Frodo’s hesitant expression and nervousness shook him to the core. He couldn’t tell news like this. Who knew what would happen if he did. But then, he was thinking like a fangirl… silly fangirls. Or maybe they weren’t far off.

All Frodo could say to Aria was, “I’ll tell you later.”

“Okay,” said Aria, even though she wasn’t sure he would inform her of Bilbo’s news. She asked, curious, “When?”

Frodo told her, murmuring in her ear, “Later.” Yes, Aria was nosy, but she had a good heart. This was something he admired from her. And that’s all that counted.

o-o-o

Later that afternoon, Frodo learned Hagrid named his dragon Norbert. The giant was getting too attached to the beast. Like Harry, Ron and Hermione, Frodo did his best to convince Hagrid that he couldn’t keep the dragon. Then Harry came up with a solution: they would tell Charlie, Ron’s brother, about Norbert, in an effort to move the dragon to Romania.

As it turned out, to Frodo’s relief, Hagrid agreed that they could send an owl to Charlie, asking him about their plan. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Frodo hoped this arrangement would work, but then Frodo had enough trouble keeping secret to his other friends about the illegal dragon. He wondered how many more secrets he would keep, but he admitted to himself he was very good at keeping secrets. Some things were better left out of his hands.

o-o-o

Frodo learned the next week the Quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Slytherin was cancelled. What this meant was Hufflepuff and Slytherin were done for the rest of the school year. While Frodo had some relief – his mind preoccupied with the Sorcerer’s Stone and Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback – he took pity on Sam. Finding the hobbit by himself Tuesday morning, shortly after they finished eating breakfast, Frodo joined Sam over at a bench in the Entrance Courtyard.

Frodo gave some encouraging words to his friend: “It’s not your fault, Sam. These things happen. It’s a game, you know.”

“I know, Mr. Frodo,” said Sam, timid. “I just… I hoped…” He stammered forward, eventually getting out what he needed to say: “You’re lucky. Ravenclaw gets to play, as does Gryffindor.”

“At least Lotho doesn’t have to worry about his team, but then they’re Slytherins,” said Frodo.

Sam replied, knowing he sounded foolish, "Amy cheers on Slytherin. Even though she says they're not all bad, I think she encourages them more than she lets on."

Frodo chuckled sheepishly, “I know she does. I’m just glad we don’t get to hear about Lotho’s antics.”

“You’re a good hobbit, Mr. Frodo,” said Sam.

Frodo added, delighted by the comment, “And you’re a good friend.”

Sam blushed in embarrassment. “You’re only saying that…”

“No, I mean it. You are a good friend to have around. We need more people like you,” admitted Frodo.

There was silence between them, but it was mutual. All Frodo and Sam knew was they officially reached the beginnings of their friendship. They had no idea where that friendship would take them, but each knew this moment meant something.

o-o-o

Thursday morning, on his way to class, Frodo spotted Harry, Ron and Hermione. Harry had a note for him, which he passed to him as they walked past each other. Unfolding the parchment, Frodo read the message to himself. It was in Harry’s scribbled handwriting, but it read loud and clear:

_Frodo,_

_Charlie’s going to take Norbert at midnight on Saturday. Ron is in the hospital wing. Norbert bit him last night. Meet us at the top of the tallest tower Saturday night, before Charlie’s friends arrive. Hermione and I will bring Norbert._

_See you then,_

_Harry_

Frodo grinned to himself. They were going to do it. Getting Norbert to the tallest tower would not be easy, but the astronomy tower was their best chance of getting the illegal dragon out of Hogwarts. He hoped they weren’t caught. Lucky for him, Frodo could move unseen, but the best he could manage before the spell wore off an hour or two of being invisible. He would have to be stealthy and swift if he were to reach the tallest tower on time.

Making sure no one saw the letter Frodo re-folded the parchment. He stuffed it inside his satchel for safe keeping.

o-o-o

Saturday evening came faster than Frodo knew. Even though Aria wanted to talk to him, it wasn’t hard for her to guess how anxious he was. Eventually, Aria gave up, yawning in an effort to stay awake.

“Don’t stay up too late, Frodo,” said Aria. “I’m going to bed.”

“Okay,” said Frodo, nodding.

“Goodnight,” said Aria, standing up and making her way to the door leading to the Girls’ Dormitory.

Frodo replied, sweetly, “Goodnight.”

Aria looked back with such joy. She was so happy to be in Ravenclaw.

The second Frodo made sure the Ravenclaw Girls’ Dormitory door was closed and Aria’s footsteps faded, Frodo checked the clock. 10:10 p.m. He had to leave now. Making sure no one was around, Frodo used his hand magic on himself to turn his body invisible. Good. Now as long as he wasn’t in any lights, his shadow wouldn’t be seen. It had been a while since he used his invisibility spell, so he nearly forgot how to turn his shadow invisible. Either way, it was time to leave the Ravenclaw Common Room for the astronomy tower. He would have a long journey ahead of him.

Once he used his hand magic on his feet, making sure the footfalls were muted, Frodo darted past the common room’s door. He ran down the spiral staircase and into the seventh-floor corridor. This was going to be easy…

“MEOW!” cried Mrs. Norris.

_Oh no_ , thought Frodo. He would have to sneak around her. Relieved not to be near any torches, Frodo waited until Mrs. Norris had walked down the corridor and disappeared around the corner. Sighing in relief that Filch’s cat was no longer in sight, Frodo snuck down the corridor in the other direction, heading straight for the door to the Grand Staircase. He slipped through without being noticed.

Remembering his shortcuts, and the ones that he traveled with Aria, Frodo arrived at the astronomy tower. As he climbed up the stairs, his invisibility cloaking spell wore off. He was visible. Frodo tried using his hand magic to make himself invisible again, but found the spell was wearing him down. Stopping himself from making the full cast, Frodo figured he would have to wait a while before trying again. Still, he was lucky he wasn’t caught.

Trying something simpler, that didn’t drain his energy, Frodo used his hand magic to make a clock appear. 11:30 p.m. Good, he still had enough time to relax and give his hand magic a break. Using his hand magic a second time, Frodo made the clock vanish.

Reaching the top step, Frodo moved past the huge globe, standing on a metallic pedestal in the centermost part of the room, and approached the balcony railing. The view of the night sky, the castle, and the Black Lake was amazing. Once his eyes adjusted, he was able to see the vista. There were days when he was impressed by the castle. Oh, how he wished he didn’t act so sour when he arrived at Hogwarts his first time here.

Minutes passed and soon Harry and Hermione arrived with Norbert. The moment they took off their cloaks, Hermione got Frodo’s attention, “Hey Frodo.”

Snapping out of his reverie, Frodo turned around, right as Hermione and Harry joined him on either side. Norbert thrashed about inside his crate. Frodo couldn’t have been happier to see them. Jokingly, Frodo asked the two, “What kept you? Where’s Ron?”

“Ron’s in the hospital. Norbert bit him,” said Hermione.

Harry said in his defense, “You try carrying a dragon all the way through the corridors and stairs of the castle. It isn’t easy.”

Frodo chuckled guiltily, “I doubt it would be.” He admitted, “I could have helped you.”

Harry gave it some thought. “Well… I didn’t think of that.”

“I don’t see why not. I’m not a hobbit here,” said Frodo. He looked down at his feet, and admitted as a recovery, “Well, maybe a little.”

“Maybe,” said Hermione, giggling.

Harry shushed them. He was glad they were talking in whispers. “Remember, we don’t want anyone catching us. Filch could be wandering nearby.”

“Good point,” Frodo murmured. He was lucky Harry was on his side, or he was on Harry’s. Either way, he was happy to enjoy his conversation with Harry and Hermione.

Minutes passed before Charlie’s friends arrived by broomstick. The four friends greeted Harry and Hermione. The second they saw Frodo, Charlie’s friends knew right away what to say.

Joking, Charlie’s first friend said to his mates, “Look who’s joined us. Are you Ron’s friend?”

“Of course he is,” said Charlie’s second friend. “Look at his robes. How strange they are.”

“I’m a hobbit. Frodo Baggins is my name. It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” said Frodo, introducing himself.

Charlie’s third friend said, “Let’s get to work, now while we still have the night.”

Charlie’s fourth friend said, “We should be grateful. It’s not often we have a Halfling – eh, Hobbit working with us.”

Frodo took that as a compliment. He felt more relaxed around Charlie’s friends. The joking and cheery behavior helped ease his nerves, given all the sneaking around he would have to do on his way down the astronomy tower. Once Charlie’s friends showed Frodo, Harry and Hermione how to harness Norbert, the rest was easy. Frodo waited until Harry and Hermione shook hands with the others before it was his turn. He wondered why he was always last.

“It’s nice meeting you, Frodo. Hope to see you around, whenever you visit Romania,” said the fourth friend.

“When does Frodo Baggins ever have time for the likes of us?” asked the third friend, jokingly.

“I’m sure if we drop Charlie a word, he’ll let Frodo come and visit us,” said the second friend.

“Let’s do it when we get back,” said the first friend.

The fourth friend told Frodo, shaking his hand, “Cheers, Frodo.”

“And to you,” said Frodo, grateful to have met them. He told the four friends, “Take care of Norbert.”

“Oh, we will,” said Charlie’s friends in unison. Grabbing their broomsticks, they flew out of the astronomy tower and into the night sky. The harness carrying Norbert was secure, for the crate did not drop nor the straps loosen.

Frodo felt relief the further the crate was away from the castle. Eventually, it was out of sight. But something inside him felt pity for the dragon. He said to Harry and Hermione, murmuring softly, “Maybe we should have kept Norbert a little while longer.”

“You can’t be serious,” said Hermione, murmuring back in shock. “Frodo, Hagrid couldn’t keep a dragon, especially one that was illegal. It would be wrong.”

“I know, but still…”

Harry intervened, telling Frodo in a whisper, “Frodo, Norbert’s in safer hands now.”

“That’s true. I hadn’t thought of that…” Frodo stopped in his tracks. He tried his hand magic again, hoping to turn invisible, but his hand magic drained him once again. Great. How was he supposed to sneak back to Ravenclaw Tower without…

“Well, well, well,” Filch whispered, “we _are_ in trouble.”

Frodo had reached the bottom of the tower with Harry and Hermione. He hadn’t realized he continued walking. He thought he’d stopped and tried his magic. How had he reached the bottom of the stairs? Maybe he was sleepwalking. Or rather… he didn’t know.

As he followed Filch, Harry and Hermione, Frodo thought of the things he could say, anything of interest. But he knew he would choke out the truth. He was good at telling the truth. However, Harry glared at him to keep quiet. He knew Frodo well, and Frodo had a feeling Harry knew just what he would tell Professor McGonagall. Frodo chose then to keep to himself, his feet shuffling and doing their best not to trip on anything or even themselves as he walked.

The four arrived at McGonagall’s study on the first floor. Filch told Frodo, Harry and Hermione to take a seat, while they waited for McGonagall to arrive. Frodo followed the direct order so quick he felt a huge sadness seep into his skull. He never felt so terrible. He knew what sneaking around would do. Now, he was in deep trouble. There was no backing out, but… Frodo didn’t want to know what his parents or his Uncle Bilbo thought when they heard the news.

McGonagall arrived shortly after with Neville. Neville did his best to explain to Harry that he was going to warn him, but Harry did his best, in a silent manner, to shut him up. This however didn’t settle McGonagall’s anger.

“ _Explain yourselves,_ ” said McGonagall.

Frodo had no words. He looked at the other two, but Hermione had fallen silent. Frodo wanted to speak, but his jaw wouldn’t open. When it did, his voice was still, as if a toad had lodged itself in his throat, forcing him not to say anything.

McGonagall clearly had something to tell the four. She claimed they fed Draco Malfoy with a story about a dragon, just so they could sneak up the astronomy tower. It wasn’t true and Frodo wanted to tell McGonagall his experience, but then so did Harry about the truth.

McGonagall did get to their punishment. She was shocked at Harry and Hermione’s behavior. Then she pointed out to Frodo, in a strict voice, “Mr. Baggins, as part of the hobbit race attending Hogwarts, I expected you to represent your kin better.” She told her four students, “All four of you will receive detentions. Fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.” She stopped Frodo from complaining, “Yes, Mr. Baggins, that means Ravenclaw.”

“ _Fifty?_ ” said Harry, gasping.

“Fifty points _each_ ,” said McGonagall.

Frodo was shocked. All those points he helped Ravenclaw win – from his classes mainly – they were now _lost_. Well, he hoped not all the points were lost, but then… oh, he couldn’t think straight. He had this feeling Aria would not be pleased.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a rough place to stop a chapter. Well, heroes always have their low point; besides, we knew this was coming, as it is in the first Harry Potter book, too, concerning Harry, Hermione and Neville.


	46. Detention in the Forbidden Forest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the previous chapters, I had to go back and tweak a few things. For this chapter, I realize it’s another long chapter, DoctorWhovian18 and Frodo had an idea for what Frodo could encounter in the Forbidden Forest. So, we’ll see how it goes. :)

Frodo spent the rest of the night tossing and turning in his bed. He eventually found sleep, but had a rough dream involving a dark forest and meeting a strange half-man half-horse fellow. He wondered if the dream meant something, or rather was it meant to scare him.

The next morning didn’t bring Frodo much luck. After checking the hourglass for Ravenclaw, and finding out the points that were lost, Frodo received a good, hard lecture from Aria, which actually wasn’t that hard. Just an I-told-you-so statement: “I told you that would happen. All your troublemaker behavior got you into trouble.”

Frodo was mildly annoyed, telling Aria, while retaining his cheekiness, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were cheering on the teachers.”

Aria was a bit stunned, but she took pity on Frodo. “Frodo, I know everyone’s depending on points and games, but that’s all they are. Why does it matter?”

Frustrated, Frodo exclaimed, “Because winning the points means Ravenclaw is one step closer to winning the house cup. Now we have to make up for those lost points. Wouldn’t you be upset?”

“Yeah, I would.” Aria sighed. Here was her uptight behavior, but for this moment, it wasn’t important. Calming down, Aria did her best to reassure him, “Frodo, you’ll make up those points. I’d like to see Ravenclaw win.”

This didn’t give Frodo much encouragement.

Aria wanted to say more, but she backed down. Like Frodo, Aria hardly knew what to say. Ravenclaw losing points made her feel miserable inside, like they were defeated.

And it didn’t stop there. In fact, things were turning out worse for Frodo as the days drew closer to exams. People who admired him, including the Muggle-born students and Muggle students, now thought him a traitor. Many of the students often ignored him, and the Ravenclaw Quidditch team had stopped talking to him.

In the few weeks before his exams, Frodo noticed a change in his friends as each had different reactions to what occurred: Sam was now more timid and flustered whenever he met Frodo. The poor hobbit boy hardly knew what to say, shuffling his feet and keeping his mouth shut. It was as if Ravenclaw losing those points made him stiff-necked and afraid. This got on Frodo’s nerves fast, yet he didn’t want to cause Sam more grief.

As a group of five, knowing what happened to Gryffindor and a little more aware that Frodo had suffered less than them, Merry, Pippin, Anne, Amy and Abigail did their best to cheer Frodo up in different ways. Anne thought Frodo deserved the punishment he would get from losing all those points. Merry, Pippin, Abigail and Amy, on the other hand, did what they could to make Frodo feel better, but Amy sided with Anne: Frodo was in deep trouble and Amy wouldn’t give Frodo a rest for it. Frodo eventually chose to avoid her.

This did not turn out well.

Amy soon backed him into a corner, demanding an answer, “If you don’t tell me what’s wrong, Frodo, then…”

“Or what?” but this was not the best way to start. Finally being sincere and honest, Frodo gave his apology: “Look, I don’t know how it happened. I was assisting Harry and Hermione with Norbert the dragon. Believe me, we wanted to get rid of him. Now he’s gone and me, Harry and Hermione end up in trouble by McGonagall. I didn’t mean to cause you trouble, but this is not your fault. The fault is mine. You weren’t responsible for my detention, Amy. Don’t stress over it.”

“Well, I am stressing out. How are Gryffindor and Ravenclaw supposed to make up all those points?” asked Amy, still flustered.

Aria intervened, as she approached Frodo and sat next to him on a bench, “Because we’ll find a way to make up those points. Or have you forgotten?”

“Should I know?” asked Frodo, quite confused.

Amy gasped in understanding. “Right. Thank you. Now I need to look up something.”

“As do I!” said Abigail, remembering her first Harry Potter book.

Anne said, calmly, “Me too.” She followed Amy and Abigail down the corridor, heading in the same direction they were to the Authors and Authoresses’ Chamber.

Aria asked Frodo, concerned, “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine Aria,” said Frodo. “I’m a little frazzled, but I’m doing well.”

Aria nodded in understanding. “Good.”

Beside this, Frodo had trouble speaking to Fredegar and Folco. Fatty was too swamped in his studying that he hardly spoke to any of their friends. Folco turned a blind eye in Frodo’s direction. He hardly spoke about the points lost, which really set Frodo off. Frodo wasn’t in the mood to not talk about Ravenclaw losing fifty points in one night. Folco seemed too distracted of himself to pay attention to Frodo’s interests. Frodo didn’t know whether to snap him out of it or leave him alone. But then Frodo himself spent more time with Aria than with his roommate.

o-o-o

On the week before exams started, Frodo received the same note as Harry, Hermione and Neville. On the note was the same message, which clearly said:

_*Your detention will take place at eleven o’ clock tonight.  
Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall._

_Professor McGonagall_

Being reminded that he still had detention, after the points lost fiasco, didn’t help Frodo’s mood. Instead, it made him feel worse. Aria knew the feeling and told him about her experience, hoping that Frodo would feel better:

“I get that feeling, too. It’s what happens when you do something wrong, and we usually tell the truth–”

Frodo wasn’t in the mood to hear this. “Aria, I know what this feels like. I’m feeling it now.” He paused to collect himself. Calming down some, Frodo apologized, “I’m sorry. These past few weeks have been nothing short of… grim sadness.” He shuddered at the thought.

Aria apologized, too, almost at random, “I’m sorry.”

Frodo shrugged the thought off. “It’s not your fault. I’m responsible for my actions.”

“Yes, I suppose we do,” said Aria, beaming a small smile his way.

Sometimes Frodo wished he could step in Aria’s shoes, just to know what it’s like to have such optimism and warm kindness. He almost felt jealous of her. She was too adorable for her own good. It made him stop and think that maybe his detention at eleven that night wouldn’t be so bad.

He couldn’t have been more wrong.

o-o-o

At eleven o’ clock that night, Frodo said a short farewell to Aria before leaving the Ravenclaw Common Room. When he came to the bottom step, Frodo left the Ravenclaw Tower. As he walked down the seventh-floor corridor, feeling the troublemaker’s downfall on him, Frodo met with Harry, Hermione and Neville.

Frodo asked the three, “How are you this evening?”

Neville did his best not to cry. Hermione wanted to say something, but whatever it was she simply chose to ignore him. It was Harry who spoke:

“We’re doing good, but…”

“We deserve what we got,” Hermione burst. “That dragon was a nuisance.”

Frodo chuckled softly, “Can’t argue there.” Although he said about two weeks prior that he missed Norbert, Frodo was relieved as Harry and Hermione to be rid of the Norwegian Ridgeback.

Neville was alarmed. “How can you joke like this? We’ve got detention.”

“And that’s the least of your worries?” asked Frodo. He still had his cheekiness.

“Well…” Neville fell silent, unsure what to say. He was quite timid.

How Frodo managed not to show his shyness, he never knew. Yet here, in spite of having detention, Frodo’s cheery mood returned, even if it was unusual. And it was only going to get better, as Filch was in the entrance hall as promised, along with Malfoy. Frodo wouldn’t have suspected Malfoy also had detention, yet here he was.

When everyone had gathered, Filch led the five students out of the castle and onto the grounds. The grounds were dark, with the exception of the moon, which cast its light down until the clouds scudded over, throwing them in darkness, and Filch’s lantern, lit by the caretaker before they set out. Filch was in an apparently good mood that evening, as he spoke about previous medieval detentions that included students being hung by their wrists from the ceiling for a few days. The very thought disgusted Frodo, but also gave him a warning about not getting on Filch’s good mood.

They approached Hagrid’s hut. The thought of having detention with Hagrid didn’t seem so bad, at least until Filch snapped Frodo out of his reverie. Hagrid came towards them. Filch did his best to make sure the giant wasn’t so kind to the five students. Hagrid wouldn’t hear of it.

Before he walked back to the castle, Filch grabbed Frodo’s collar and said, wringing him about, “And this here is the reason for my bad mood. You’ll want to keep an eye on him, Hagrid.” He released Frodo with a jerk. He returned to the gloom of the grounds, grumbling as he went.

Once Filch was out of earshot, Hagrid asked Frodo, “Yer alrigh’, Frodo?”

Frodo nodded. Although, Frodo felt in the mood to give Filch a few good pranks.

Hagrid must have known what Frodo was thinking, because he told him, flat out, “Yeh’ll not be pulling pranks on Filch tonight, Frodo. Yer want to stay at Hogwarts, don’tcha? Then yeh’ve gotta pay for yer wrong. Understand?”

Frodo nodded a second time. The last thing he wanted to do was get Hagrid upset.

“Good,” said Hagrid. He told everyone, “Now, what we’ll be doin’ tonight is dangerous, and I don’ want no one takin’ risks. Wait a moment.” He lit a lantern, before he led them to the edge of the forest. There on the ground, he showed Harry, Hermione, Neville, Frodo, and Malfoy silvery puddles that were in different spots on the dirt and grass. Hagrid explained, “Tha’ be unicorn blood. I found a unicorn dead last Wednesday. The unicorn this week appears to be injured badly. We need to find the unicorn an’, if we have to, put it out of its misery.

“We’ll split up into two parties. Whoever finds the unicorn, send up green sparks like this,” Hagrid showed the five students by casting green sparks with his pink umbrella. He watched as they repeated the pattern. Impressed, Hagrid went on, “Tha’ good. Now, when we’re ever in trouble, send up red sparks.”

At that, Frodo used his hand magic to shoot up red sparks. The sparks stopped several inches above his head. He grinned, but from the glares of Hagrid, Harry and Hermione, this goofing off wasn’t appropriate. Frodo apologized, sheepishly, “Sorry. I just wanted to test it out.”

“Righ’,” said Hagrid, not pleased but knowing this wasn’t the time for antics.

“I want Fang,” announced Malfoy.

“All right, but I warn yeh, he is a coward,” said Hagrid. “So me, Harry, Hermione an’ Frodo’ll go one way an’ Draco, Neville, an’ Fang’ll go the other. The unicorn’ll be staggering aroun’ since last night, my guess is. There’s blood everywher’. If one of us finds the unicorn, remember green sparks into the air.”

Frodo shot green sparks up a couple of inches above his head. He chuckled to himself.

That set Hermione off. “Frodo, this is no time for your gags.”

“I was just having fun,” said Frodo, chuckling.

“We don’ have time for fun and games. This is serious business, Frodo,” said Hagrid. Convinced that Frodo wasn’t going to pull another gag on them, Hagrid said to the group, “Let’s go, an’ before I forget, keep ter the path.” Holding out his lantern, Hagrid led the way into the dark forest.

Frodo was used to travelling through forests, since being in the Shire, but being in this forest at night felt ancient, mysterious and foreboding. It was too quiet. Frodo’s mind played tricks on him. Although he was lucky to be in a group, this particular forest felt unwelcoming, as if he didn’t belong there.

When they came to a fork in the earthen path, the two parties went their separate ways, following the trail of silver blood. Hagrid, Harry, Hermione and Frodo took the left path, while Malfoy, Neville and Fang took the right. As Frodo followed the others, he kept feeling that something pure was watching him, as if they were protecting him from any sign of danger.

Just when he thought they wouldn’t find the unicorn, Frodo was hoisted into the air by Hagrid, who set him down behind a huge oak tree next to Harry and Hermione. Frodo wanted to protest, to admit that yes he was a hobbit and there were Big Folk about at home, but in the moment he was dreading whatever was coming. Unsure whether to come out, even after Hagrid said it was all right, Frodo spotted something moving behind the brush. What was it – something white? He was sure he had seen something white move with such grace through the bushes and behind the tree…

“We have one more student, but I don’ know where he is,” Hagrid said a short distance away.

Realizing he needed to move out from his hiding place, Frodo trudged forward, moving closer to where he heard Hagrid’s voice. When Frodo at last reached the trio, Hagrid led him, Harry and Hermione past the half-man half-horse folk. Frodo stared at the two for a moment before darting back to Hagrid.

Doing his best to keep him mind fixed on the present, Frodo asked the giant, “What were those… men?”

“They’re centaurs. Seems you missed a pointless conversation, Frodo. They hardly told us where the unicorn was, if they spotted it,” said Hagrid.

“So it wasn’t them that killed–”

“Did it sound like hooves to you?” asked Hagrid, repeating to him. “No, it was something else that made that sound, killin’ the unicorns.”

“What’s that?” asked Hermione, grabbing Hagrid’s arm. “Hagrid, I saw red sparks! The others are in trouble!”

“Wait here,” said Hagrid, blundering through the forest. “I’ll be back. And remember to stay on the path.”

While Harry and Hermione talked, Frodo spotted a fluid creature trotting about a short distance away. Once again, he felt this pure sensation of protection on him, as if he could sense it radiating off the creature.

Minutes passed. At last Hagrid returned with Malfoy, Neville and Fang. Due to what Malfoy pulled, Hagrid decided on the spot to change groups, with only Neville and Harry switching spots. Frodo would have to stay in the same group, but whether it was because Hagrid wanted to keep an eye on him, in case he horsed around again, Frodo didn’t know. What he did know was that something was following him, but it wasn’t bad… or so he hoped.

They started out again. Even though Frodo was determined to find the unicorn, the last thing he wanted to see was a dead one. He lagged behind Hagrid, Hermione and Neville in minutes. That’s when he heard the faint sound of hooves. More determined to discover where the sound was coming from, Frodo journeyed through the forest, doing the one thing Hagrid told him not to do: stray from the path.

Frodo walked for several minutes. The trail of blood became less fleeting the further he went. His ears picked up on different sounds, each more distinct from the last. A single thought pressed his mind: he was lost. Or was he? Where were the others? Hagrid wasn’t with him, he realized. Well, surely he wouldn’t run into any danger…

The hooves drew closer. Worried, but armed with his hand magic, beginner though he was, Frodo readied his hand. But as the moonlight blazed down from between the branches, Frodo lowered his hand. Relief spread on his face as a horse with a white coat, a silver mane and tail, and a spiraled horn. Nervousness swelled inside Frodo. He didn’t want to scare the beast, but… wait, it was a live unicorn! Maybe Frodo needed to inform Hagrid of his find.

The unicorn dug the ground a few times with its cloven hoof. Sensing no danger, the unicorn advanced, sniffing him and tilting its head down next to him. At first, there was no response from Frodo, but the unicorn moved its head, whinnying for him to pet it. Frodo did as he was told, not wanting to upset the unicorn. As he petted the creature, Frodo found himself adjusting to the beast. He was accustomed to ponies in the Shire, but he had never seen a unicorn up close. The unicorn knelt on the ground in front of him, moving its rear legs down.

Frodo asked, “You want me to ride you?”

The unicorn grunted in reply, nodding its head in swift strokes. Grabbing a fistful of the unicorn’s silver mane, Frodo hoisted himself onto its back. He held on as the unicorn stood up and galloped through the forest. The view above seemed much different. He forgotten how much he was afraid of heights, but then flying on a broomstick helped him forget. Frodo did not know how long they kept riding, but every minute that passed, he could hear his friends’ voices drawing closer, as well as that of a new male voice. He was almost back to the group. He knew he was!

“This is where I leave you,” said a male voice, ringing out the loudest now.

Coming out from the bushes and back onto the path, Frodo watched as another centaur walked away from Harry. The others turned around to face Frodo now; even Harry was staring in amazement at the new sight. The unicorn moved its slender legs down to the ground, enough for Frodo to climb off its back. Moving to where he could see the unicorn’s head, Frodo stared longingly at his new friend. The unicorn had gotten him out of a scrap when he was lost. He did not know how to repay the creature.

“Thank you for bringing me back to my friends,” said Frodo to the unicorn.

The unicorn lowered its head again, allowing Frodo the chance to pet its front mane. Before Frodo had the chance to stroke its silver hair some more, the unicorn jerked its head up. Frodo was now alarmed and confused. The unicorn neighed, as if laughing at its own joke, and then trotted back into the forest. Frodo let out a small sigh, impressed with himself and the horse-like creature. Even a unicorn could have a sense of humor.

Hagrid got his attention, “I didn’ expect unicorns to meet boys. They usually find themselves meeting with girls, as is the myth.”

“Then it is wrong, the myth,” said Frodo, still watching the unicorn until it disappeared behind the trees.

Harry stood next to Frodo, forcing the hobbit boy to turn his gaze to him. Harry whispered in Frodo’s ear, “I’ve got some new information for you. But I’ll wait until morning to tell you, if that’s all right?”

Frodo replied, whispering back, “Yeah, it is.”

o-o-o

Frodo returned to the Ravenclaw Common Room to find Aria asleep on the couch. She had been waiting for him to return. Why would she do that? Was it because she was his fangirl? Frodo suspected it was more than some fangirl’s daydream that Aria was waiting to hear news of his journey in the Forbidden Forest. Kneeling in front of the couch, Frodo shook Aria gently, only to hear her say something about school paperwork.

“Aria, wake up,” Frodo murmured.

Aria opened her eyes, jolting upright upon seeing him. Frodo raised his hands, hoping she would calm down. Aria did calm down a few moments later, staring at him and slowly remembering why she had stayed out here.

She said, grateful to see Frodo, “How was your detention?”

“Interesting,” said Frodo, sitting on the couch next to her. “I traveled into the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid, looking for an injured unicorn. Instead, I found a live unicorn that wanted me to pet it. It was the unicorn who led me back to Hagrid’s.”

“What did you do, get yourself lost? Frodo,” said Aria, distraught in her voice.

“I have this tendency to wander off on my own, Aria,” said Frodo.

Aria thought for a moment, before declaring softly, “Maybe I should read ‘The Lord of the Rings’.”

“Well, that’s my confirmation for you, of who I am,” said Frodo.

Aria yawned. She asked, tired, “Anything else?”

Frodo shook his head. It was better not to inform her of any news, even after Harry told him what he discovered in the Forbidden Forest. However, Frodo did tell her, out of concern, “Come on. We should get to bed.”

Aria nodded. Standing up, she walked with Frodo until they reached the door to the Girls’ Dormitory. They said their farewells for the night. Once they separated, Frodo ran up the stairs to the Boys’ Dormitory. Folco was already asleep. Changing into his night clothes, Frodo pulled back the sheets of his bed and tucked himself in. Sleep overcame him in minutes. He had no dream, yet felt this push-pull tug between satisfaction and dread.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Footnotes:
> 
> *This note from Professor McGonagall is found in Chapter 15, “The Forbidden Forest”, from the book _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone | Philosopher’s Stone_.


	47. Exam Days

The very next morning, shortly after Frodo finished breakfast, Frodo followed Hermione into an empty classroom. There, they found Harry and Ron waiting for them. It was time Frodo learned what Harry wanted to tell him the other night.

Harry got straight to the point, “Snape’s after the Stone, as we know, but then so is Voldemort.”

“Whose Voldemort?” asked Frodo.

“Stop saying his name!” said Ron.

Harry ignored him, informing Frodo, “He’s an evil wizard. He tried to kill me as a baby, and I’m sure Voldemort was there last night in the forest, living off the unicorn’s blood. If he had his way last night, Voldemort would have killed me then.”

“So you think Voldemort’s after the Sorcerer’s Stone?” asked Frodo, as if to confirm the information in a question.

“ _Stop saying his name!_ ” Ron repeated, clearly peeved.

Ignoring Ron, Harry nodded in agreement to Frodo.

Frodo didn’t understand, “But if Voldemort’s after the Stone, who knows who else is after it. And if dark wizards go after the Stone, what’s to stop any other foul thing from wanting the Stone for themselves.”

“That’s what we’ve been saying,” said Harry.

“You catch on fast,” said Ron, sarcastic.

Hermione ignored him. She told Frodo, “Well, Dumbledore’s protecting Harry from Voldemort. So, if Dumbledore’s here, Harry is safe, but then so is the Stone.”

“Then let’s hope Voldemort doesn’t get it, or Snape, or anything evil from Middle-earth,” said Frodo.

“Why would Middle-earth be affected?” Ron realized, “Middle-earth is your home.”

Frodo nodded in silence. “It is. The Shire is well-guarded and safe, but who knows what else is out in the world. I still don’t know what’s in Middle-earth, but I’ve heard of strange creatures and foul beasts from Bilbo’s stories. Middle-earth might not be as safe as we thought.”

“You should be happy the Shire’s safe, and the hobbits here. But then so are you, Frodo,” said Hermione.

“Thanks Hermione,” said Frodo, feeling reassured. Still, he had this bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Let’s hope the Stone is still safe by next week.”

“Or any week,” said Ron.

Frodo nodded again. However, his bad feeling did not settle, even after his meeting with Harry, Ron and Hermione ended so they could get to class.

o-o-o

Frodo never felt such relief until the next morning. He didn’t have detention anymore! Now he could do what he pleased. He knew the very first thing he would do: prank Filch.

After he finished eating breakfast in the Great Hall, Frodo walked with Aria to the second-floor corridor. Even though he and Aria had class on the third-floor, as Aria wanted to get to her class on time, Frodo knew they still had plenty of time. Time enough for him to prank Filch, that is. And right on cue, there was Filch, mopping up the second-floor corridor on the other end.

Frodo whispered to Aria, “Wait by the stairs to the third-floor corridor.”

“What will you do?” asked Aria, whispering back.

“You’ll understand, hopefully,” said Frodo. He pointed to the way back, “Now go, before Filch spots you.”

Aria nodded, knowing when she was defeated. “All right. Do be careful.” She darted down the corridor, doing her best to keep her footfalls from being too loud.

Frodo murmured to himself, jokingly, “Oh I will.” Returning his gaze to Filch, and muting the sound in front of Filch temporarily with his hand magic, Frodo also used his hand magic to cast an enormous box of balloons on top of the caretaker. With Filch distracted by his new task, Frodo darted back down the way he came. He found Aria waiting for him, but he didn’t have much time to talk to her. Filch might be heading his way.

Frodo whispered loudly to her, “No time. Let’s go.” He dragged her with him up the stairs.

Aria tripped once, but she was grateful Frodo still held her wrist. “I can walk, Frodo.”

“Come on,” said Frodo. He was eager to get away from the second-floor corridor.

Aria was in the right and did her best to speed after Frodo. At last, the two made it to the Charms Corridor. There, Aria stopped and spoke the password to the portrait she was looking for. With that done, Aria turned her gaze again to Frodo: “I have to go. Thank you for escorting me here.”

“I should go, too. See you later, Aria,” said Frodo, walking away.

Aria called to him, “And to you.”

Frodo gazed sharply back, but the expression he had on his face was filled with mirth. He stopped and checking his clock, using hand magic once more, Frodo found he still had time to get to his first class of the morning. He waved to Aria, who slipped through the portrait hole, disappearing from his sight. After Aria had left the area, Frodo darted off. If there was one thing he would prove to his teachers, it was that he could be punctual… but then there was always room outside the classroom to be the prankster that he was.

o-o-o

Of course, Frodo didn’t have much time to pull pranks. He spent the majority of it with Aria whenever they did their study sessions. Otherwise, Frodo could be found with Harry, Ron and Hermione, investigating further on the Sorcerer’s Stone. While Frodo wasn’t always able to meet with them, as exams drew ever closer, he was still informed by Hermione on Snape’s behavior and Quirrell’s bravery; only Quirrell was looking more pale as the days stretched.

By the next week, it was time for exams. Exams consisted of four days. There were written exams, but there were also practical exams, which involved the teachers calling students one-by-one and showing their instructors the correct spell. Frodo and Aria were often separated during these four days, but each knew the reason for this. And while the authors and authoresses of the hobbits attending Hogwarts were mainly in the Authors and Authoresses’ Chamber during these four days of exams – as their exams were different from the school’s main curriculum – the hobbits found themselves either grouped with their classmates during practical exams and in separate rooms during the written parts.

Frodo could admit he finally had the basics down of using hand magic. A proven example of this was when he entered Professor McGonagall’s class. McGonagall was most strict towards him. Frodo knew why the reason was: he made her angry when he helped Harry and Hermione with Norbert that night, weeks ago.

McGonagall asked Frodo, “Turn a mouse into a snuffbox. Points will be taken if I see whiskers. There is your mouse.”

Frodo approached McGonagall’s desk. There, sitting on the table was a little white mouse. _This is easy_ , thought Frodo. In one swift effort, Frodo used his hand magic on the mouse: the effect was the mouse transforming into a snuffbox. There wasn’t a single whisker on it. Frodo gave a cheery expression. He knew he’d done well.

McGonagall nodded. She was most impressed, yet she told Frodo, “I’ll let you know that while it may be adequate to use hand magic, note that most witches and wizards, or in this case hobbits, use their wands.”

Frodo admitted, “I like using hand magic better. It’s what Professor Cherryhill claimed is my best skill.”

McGonagall said, “Indeed. Then I suggest you continue to use hand magic, but I warn you that Professor Snape prefers wand-making.”

“I know. I don’t always use hand magic,” said Frodo, “especially in Professor Snape’s class.”

“Very well. It is your choosing which form of magic you take. I award ten points to Ravenclaw, and you pass this part of your exam because your design is robust yet elegant for a snuffbox,” said Professor McGonagall, pointing out the Shire painting design on the snuffbox.

“Well, the Shire is my home. I wanted to represent it,” said Frodo. “Thank you, professor.”

“Good enough. You may go, Mr. Baggins,” said Professor McGonagall, showing Frodo to the door.

Frodo proved his use of hand magic again, this time in Charms class:

“Mr. Baggins, make the pineapple tap-dance across the desk,” said Professor Flitwick.

Frodo performed the spell, using hand magic, in around five to ten seconds. The result was superb, as the pineapple tap danced to a familiar Shire jig Frodo knew. Flitwick nodded, approaching Frodo as the hobbit used his hand magic to turn the music off.

“Well done, Mr. Baggins. You have improved indeed,” said Flitwick.

“I think I’ve got the basics down,” said Frodo.

“Yes you have. I think you are ready to try something more challenging, but we can wait until next year. For now, you may leave,” said Flitwick.

Frodo did as he was told, as Flitwick called in his next student. Frodo was happy, if only within that moment. He still had other classes to attend to for his exams. Yet he felt he did all the studying he could.

Frodo had to stay on his toes for his Herbology exam. Professor Sprout called him into the greenhouse. When Frodo entered, he found himself in midst of two spiky bushes. The spiky bushes themselves were green, but they were covered in large yellow thorns. Frodo had a feeling he knew what spell to use.

Professor Sprout instructed him for his practical exam, “Use the fire-making spell on these spiky bushes. Make sure to step back to avoid their needles.”

Keeping a safe distance away from the spiky bushes, Frodo decided to show his hand magic again. Aiming his hands in the air, right at the bushes, Frodo cast, “ _Incendio!_ ”

The spell worked in perfect sync. As it happened, the spiky bushes deflated; in the process, their thorns shot in different directions. Frodo luckily was away enough that the spiky bushes’ thorns didn’t hit him, as he knew would happen.

Professor Sprout was impressed. She nodded, telling him, “Ten points to Ravenclaw. You’ve mastered the basics for the Incendio spell. Off you go, Mr. Baggins.”

Frodo, delighted with his efforts, left the greenhouse for the Herbology corridor. He was happy no one was injured by the spiky bushes.

Potions class was daunting. As Frodo wasn’t allowed to use hand magic, and Snape gladly would have penalized Frodo for using this form of spell casting by any means necessary, he had to rely on his wand-magic instead. The potion each first year, hobbits included, were required to brew by memory was the Forgetfulness Potion.

While he already guessed he would have to do this potion, due to the dream he had weeks ago, before his detention, Frodo dived right into the process of making the potion. Snape was no help to him, often breathing down his neck, especially when Frodo was concentration on getting the potion right.

“Careful Baggins, you don’t want to lose house points,” said Snape, just as Frodo reached halfway through the potion-making.

Frodo didn’t say anything to Snape, if at all. When it was time to continue the potion, Frodo remembered to put mistletoe berries and the Standard Ingredient into the mortar. Hoping he was precise, Frodo sprinkled in the pinches from the mortar, after he crushed the two ingredients. The moment he waved his wand to complete the potion, Snape came over and examined Frodo’s potion.

“A decent potion, not considerably your best, Baggins,” said Snape. He ended their conversation before it began, in his calm voice, “Now leave the class, before I deduct house points.”

Frodo did just that, not looking back at Snape. At least he would have relief from his potions’ teacher… that is until he found out what his exam results were for potions class.

The last three classes Frodo had to take involved more written exams than practical. Although Xylomancy class, Frodo had to read twigs, something which he didn’t understand nor could get why this was part of Divination, on a beginner’s level. In Magical Theory, Frodo’s exam consisted of theories on spells and their uses. While Frodo felt confident he did well on this exam, he was more interested in experience over theories.

As for History of Magic, and Frodo did his best to pay attention to Professor Binns, the exam covered wizards who’d invented Self-Stirring Cauldrons. When Frodo was done with his test, and finished double-checking the papers, Professor Binns spoke to the class:

“Set your quills down, class. After you’ve rolled up your parchments, you are free to go.”

Frodo felt relieved, but then so were Harry, Ron, Hermione, Merry and Pippin. Frodo had History of Magic with his five friends because Gryffindors and Ravenclaws shared this class together for their first year. Glad to have History of Magic as his last class, and even more relieved that he was done, Frodo met with his friends after class got out.

As Harry, Ron and Hermione agreed to go out on the grounds, Pippin asked Frodo, “So, what should we do Frodo?”

But Frodo had a feeling he should be with Harry, Ron and Hermione that afternoon. He told Merry and Pippin, “Listen, you two find Aria and tell her to meet me in the Ravenclaw Common Room before dinner or sooner. I’m going to go with Harry, Ron and Hermione. We’ll talk later, I promise.”

Pippin nodded in agreement. However, Merry was convinced something was up. Merry said to Frodo, “Maybe we should go with you.”

Frodo shook his head. “No, you two go on ahead.”

Merry shrugged. “Okay. We’ll see you later.” He led Pippin down the fourth-floor corridor.

Frodo, not taking any chances, caught up to Harry, Ron and Hermione, asking them, “Can I join you?”

Ron said, pleased to hear this question, “Sure.”

“It’s not like we’re doing anything else,” said Harry, leading the way.

“Oh I know,” said Frodo, making it sound so obvious.

Hermione rolled her eyes. Sometimes Frodo could be full of it, but at least it was for good reasons. Frodo chuckled at Hermione’s expression. It was going to be a good, relaxing week. He just knew it. Even though Gryffindor and Ravenclaw were going to be competing against each other that Saturday, Frodo and Harry had already called it evens. At this point, the only part they were concerned with was making up those lost points for their houses.

x-x-x

Outside, Frodo joined his three friends under a tree. Although Frodo wanted desperately to climb the tree, he found he couldn’t because Harry kept feeling his scar. Ron and Hermione made various suggestions, but it didn’t help the situation. It was then an idea struck Frodo:

“Look Harry, if Voldemort’s after the Stone, and it’s down in the trapdoor, do you think…”

“The trapdoor…” Harry gave it some thought, and then he remembered Fluffy and Hagrid. “Hagrid!”

“Hagrid what?” asked Ron, confused.

“Come on!” said Harry, charging across the grounds. With Ron, Hermione and Frodo on his tail, Harry explained to the three, “Isn’t it odd that Hagrid really wants a dragon and a stranger turns up who has one? Not a lot of people go around with dragon eggs in their pocket, do they?” He added as a last note, “Thank you, Frodo. You’re a big help.”

Frodo said, shyly, “It was only a thought.”

“No, it’s helpful,” said Harry. “Now we can ask Hagrid where–” but he cut himself off as they neared Hagrid’s hut. The least he could do was to ask his giant friend where he got that dragon egg.

The moment Harry, Ron, Hermione and Frodo approached Hagrid, Harry and Hagrid engaged in a conversation involving when Hagrid got the dragon egg from the stranger. Harry asked him questions, but what Hagrid could admit was the stranger didn’t take his cloak off, but while they were playing cards, Hagrid told Harry what he told the stranger about Fluffy, especially the part where you calm the three-headed dog:

“…jus’ play him a bit o’ music an’ he’ll go straight off ter sleep–”

Frodo hardly spoke, but then neither did Harry, Ron and Hermione. They just kept running until they reached the entrance hall. However, as soon as the four friends stepped foot inside the castle, it felt cold and gloomy. And yet, Harry’s mission seemed important at the time. Frodo was in the right to be with Harry then. Even he suspected there was more going on than a stranger walking up to Hagrid with a dragon egg in his pocket.

However, as the four friends scanned the area for Dumbledore’s office, not knowing themselves where the Headmaster’s office was exactly, they were interrupted by Professor McGonagall. McGonagall carried with her a stack of books. She was most curious as to what Frodo, Harry, Ron and Hermione were doing inside the castle at that hour.

As soon as he learned from McGonagall that Dumbledore was not at Hogwarts but at the Ministry of Magic, Harry insisted, “Professor – it’s about the Sorcerer’s Stone –”

McGonagall was firm on them, telling them, “The stone is too well protected.” Before they could protest, she said last, “I suggest you four go outside and enjoy the sunshine.” She walked away without saying another word to them.

Moments later, Snape approached them, wondering what they were doing inside. Before he walked away, Snape had a few things to say to Harry. After he was done threatening Harry, Snape pressed further with Frodo: “And that goes for you, too, Baggins. No more nighttime wanderings.” He walked away, heading to wherever he was going.

Finding Snape too suspicious, Harry laid out the plan for them: Hermione would wait outside the staff room and distract Snape, by searching for Professor Flitwick. Harry and Ron decided they would head to the third-floor corridor. However, Frodo intervened:

“Can I come with you?” asked Frodo, stopping the trio from moving.

Harry informed him, calmly, “Look, you’ve helped us this far. You don’t have to come.”

“I’m not leaving you three to do this alone. I’m coming,” said Frodo.

Harry knew he couldn’t deter Frodo from backing down from their plan. He said last, “Come on, Frodo. Follow me and Ron.”

At that, the four friends went their separate ways: Hermione to the staff room; Harry, Ron and Frodo to the third-floor corridor. But when the three friends reached the third-floor corridor, they were stopped by Professor McGonagall. McGonagall, this time, was furious. She warned Harry and Ron that she would take another fifty points from Gryffindor, but she didn’t stop there:

“Mr. Baggins, I would think by now that you would have a lot more respect for this school. Should you come snooping here again, I’ll not only take fifty more points from Ravenclaw, but also inform your parents of your bad behavior. Is that understood?”

Frodo was alarmed by this statement. His parents would find out again what he’d done; only this time… no, he needed to snap out of his reverie. There was only one thing he could do… as soon as he reached the seventh-floor corridor with Harry and Ron, Frodo insisted in a rampage to his two friends: “Listen, whatever the plan is, I’m with you.”

Harry nodded. This was the right thing now. “You’re right. I’ll let you know as soon as Hermione comes back, okay?”

Frodo nodded as well. It was better than nothing…

After a few minutes, before that a frantic Hermione rushing into the Corridor of the Fat Lady, Frodo moved from his spot. There, Harry, Ron and Hermione approached him with news. Frodo knew this news was important.

Harry told Frodo, mumbling loudly, “Ron, Hermione and I’ve agreed to go to the third-floor corridor tonight, after everyone’s gone to bed. Do you think you can meet us there?”

Frodo nodded. “I’ll be there, as soon as everyone’s gone to bed in the Ravenclaw Common Room.”

“I just hope this plan works,” said Hermione. “But I don’t have to worry about being expelled. My grades are really good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With Herbology class and Magical Theory not mentioned for the exams in the first Harry Potter book, that were brought up here, I had to guess what would be the final exams for these classes for first years. And I really did some good hard thinking on it. As for Xylomancy, that class is kind of self-explanatory, as it’s also in the Harry Potter Wiki, except for the exam but I think that’s self-explanatory. And as what happened in Chapter 16, “Through the Trapdoor” in _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone | Philosopher’s Stone_ , Hermione gets the last line of dialogue before she, Ron and Harry enter the Forbidden Corridor later that evening.
> 
> Next chapter involves the Underground Chambers to reach the Sorcerer's Stone | Philosopher's Stone. :)


	48. The Chambers to the Stone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DoctorWhovian18 and Frodo were a big help with this chapter, too. So, I am thanking them for their ideas. :)

While eating dinner in the Great Hall, Aria noticed a change in Frodo. He was unusually quiet, but Frodo was becoming impatient. Should she tell Frodo what she knew? It was too obvious from her re-reading the first Harry Potter book what would happen that night. It was her favorite chapter, but then she would have to break the rules in order to reach the Forbidden Corridor. Well, maybe she wouldn’t have to go down there alone. But then she was concerned Frodo would make the attempt with just Harry, Ron and Hermione.

After dinner, Frodo sat with Aria. Frodo twiddled his fingers, unsure whether to admit to Aria the truth of where he was going. It was risky discussing the Stone to anyone other than Harry, Ron and Hermione… but then Aria was an authoress! She would know what was going on. Well, she knew about Bilbo’s adventures and possibly his… at least, now she did. Maybe she would know something about his journey that evening to find the Stone with his other three friends.

Frodo broke the silence in low mutters, telling Aria, “Look Aria, about tonight…”

This was her chance! Whispering, Aria told Frodo, “I know where you’re going tonight, Frodo. You’re going after the Sorcerer’s Stone. And I want to come with you. It’s my favorite chapter in Harry Potter’s book series.”

Frodo was stunned. This was unlike Aria. “You – You want to come with me?” He was growing excited. This was definitely not like Aria. Had she gone mad, or was this a sign of her changing?

Aria admitted to Frodo, in a low mutter, “Frodo, I wouldn’t miss this. I know you can use your hand magic to turn yourself invisible. What about me? Can you expand on it?”

Frodo felt determined now. Maybe if his focus was accurate, he could expand his invisibility cloaking spell to Aria and himself. It was worth a shot. He extended his hand to her. “Take my hand.”

Aria did as she was told. In the blink of an eye, Aria didn’t see her hand and then she did. Did she miss something? Staring at her hand now in amazement, Aria asked him, “How did you do that?”

Frodo chuckled. “I’ve been practicing. Looks like I’ve got enough focus that I can expand the cloaking spell.” By now, he made a muting bubble, where he and Aria could talk using their regular voices. “We can talk louder now. No one’s going to bother us. Promise. I’ve been expanding on the muting spell, too.”

Aria spoke a little louder, still nervous someone would stop them. “Okay. How exactly are we getting to the third-floor corridor? You’ve gotten yourself into enough trouble as it is…”

“Aria, are you with me or not?” asked Frodo. He could have his cheeky moments.

“Yes, I’m with you, Frodo,” said Aria, serious. She caught on. Sheepish, Aria apologized, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right,” said Frodo, calmly.

Aria sighed in relief.

However, Frodo had to ask her, “So, is all you worry about is rules and such? Aria, you need to mellow out.”

“Well, now that I’ve been out of my own head, I’ve been mellowing out. Besides, this is important and you’re my friend. Whose side do you really think I’m on? Yes, I love creativity and I know I need to be braver, but this is my chance to have an adventure. I wouldn’t miss this. Besides, I’ve always found the Chambers to the Sorcerer’s Stone fascinating,” admitted Aria, excitement growing inside of her.

Even though no one was paying that much attention to him in Ravenclaw house, except for Aria mainly, Frodo said to her, relieved to have her along, “Well then, consider yourself my Ravenclaw companion. Who knows? We might just win those points back for our house.” He grinned uncontrollably. This was an awkward moment, but then he was adjusting to these awkward moments. A thought about Pearl Took flashed in his mind.

Aria asked, a little saddened, “But Frodo, what about Pearl?”

Frodo heaved a sigh. “Pearl is a giggly girl, incapable of lying to anyone, let alone my business.” He added to relieve himself and Aria, admitting with a cheerful grin, “but I’d rather have you down in those Chambers with me.”

Aria beamed a smile. This was going to be an eventful evening. “Then let’s wait until everyone goes to bed before we begin our trip to the third-floor corridor.”

Frodo admitted, “Then I better ready my hand magic for the journey. That’s why I didn’t use it as much this afternoon.”

Aria said nothing, but nodded in agreement. She couldn’t wait for the evening. Yet it was better she avoided telling anyone anything about this venture. She was getting quite good at keeping secrets herself. She just hoped she wouldn’t let Frodo down before the journey to find the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Minutes passed. Frodo and Aria stayed together, as students slowly went up to bed. When the Ravenclaw Common Room had emptied, Aria turned to Frodo. This was their chance and hopefully Frodo knew what he was doing.

“Ready to go Aria?” asked Frodo, double-checking.

Aria nodded. “I’m ready.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” said a familiar male voice. The voice belonged to Folco, who startled them as he moved from behind a chair.

Frodo and Aria jumped, startled to see him.

Frodo told Folco, doing his best to keep his voice calm, “Folco, Aria and I must go.” This was serious business. He didn’t have time to be held back by anyone.

Folco didn’t listen. “Are you mad? You’ll get Ravenclaw in trouble.” He glared at Aria, “and you. I expected better from you, rather you’re choosing to sneak out of the common room at this hour. You’re no better than Frodo.”

Frodo heard enough of these words from McGonagall. He certainly didn’t need to hear it from his friend. Given the circumstance, and where Folco stood in front of a chair, Frodo had a plan. Lowering his head, Frodo said to Folco, “Folco, I really didn’t want to do this. I’m sorry, but I have to…” He waved a hand skywards in a quick movement. The reaction, he was a bit surprised it worked, was Folco shutting his eyelids fast before collapsing backwards into the chair.

Aria checked to see that Folco was breathing. He was and snoring. Aria turned to Frodo, asking him, nervously, “Will he wake up?”

“Not for a couple of hours. Come on,” said Frodo, leading the way towards the door.

Once Aria had caught up to him, Frodo grabbed her hand first so they turned invisible. He held onto her hand as they exited the Ravenclaw Common Room. Frodo did feel bad leaving Folco where he was. It felt like he would be caught again for putting Folco under a sleeping spell, as if feeling Filch’s gaze lurking on his shoulders; however, Frodo was too busy keeping watch of Aria and making sure they were invisible than anything else. And he could admit the invisibility spell actually felt stronger and easier than it did with him going on his solo missions.

On the way to the Grand Staircase, Frodo and Aria could hear Ron whispering. Frodo opened the door, just as footfalls were made on the first set of stairs. Happy to have muted their footfalls and other sounds, Frodo led Aria down the stairs, past Mrs. Norris, after Harry, Ron and Hermione. They moved slowly, each taking their time. Harry, Ron and Hermione felt like they were being watched by someone. Hermione suspected it was Frodo, but she wouldn’t have guessed Aria was following them; still, she had this strange feeling Frodo brought a friend.

The five friends were stopped on the staircase up to the third floor by Peeves. Harry had a brilliant idea of tricking Peeves into thinking he was the Bloody Baron. Peeves, not wanting to upset the Baron, floated away from the third floor. Now was their chance! They were all lucky they hadn’t been seen or caught.

Slipping into the third-floor corridor, Frodo took Aria with him fast after sneaking past Harry, Ron and Hermione. Walking quicker down the corridor, with Aria on tow by her wrist, Frodo led his authoress straight to the door leading to the Forbidden Corridor. To his surprise, the door was already open. And speeding towards them were Harry, Ron and Hermione. A crunch was heard, upon which Aria stomached her pain. Ron moved his foot off Aria’s, immediately regretting the decision.

Hermione whispered, “Is that you, Frodo? Did you bring a friend?”

“I think I stepped on Frodo’s friend,” admitted Ron, whispering back.

Frodo undid the mute spell, but kept the invisibility on him and Aria. Aria made a small, whispering scream of pain. Frodo asked Aria, in a whisper, “Are you all right, Aria?”

Aria managed to say, making a fast recovery but still gulping the pain, “I’ll live. Ron stepped on my foot.”

“Aria’s here, too. I thought this was supposed to be secret, Frodo,” whispered Harry.

Frodo whispered back, sheepishly, “Aria already knew before I could say anything.”

Aria murmured softly, “It’s true.”

Harry asked his four friends then, “Look, none of you have to come with me–”

“Don’t be stupid,” said Ron.

“We’re coming,” said Hermione.

“As am I,” said Aria, a little quicker.

Frodo said, a little slower to Harry, “What Aria means is we’re coming with you.”

“Well, you go on ahead of us, Frodo, Aria,” said Harry, gesturing forward as best he could.

Frodo used the mute spell again with his hand magic to open the door silently. He held the door for Aria as she followed him inside. Once Aria was through, Frodo left it open for Harry, Ron and Hermione to enter the room. When everyone was inside, Frodo left the door creak slowly ajar on its own. After a quick whisper in Aria’s ear to leave the door alone, Frodo still held Aria’s hand as Harry, Ron and Hermione stopped before the three-headed dog.

When Harry began to play on Hagrid’s flute, Frodo told Aria, “I don’t think I need to keep us invisible now.”

“You don’t? But Frodo…” Aria was terrified. This dog was scarier than she first imagined, and worse up close.

As Harry, Ron and Hermione slipped out from under the cloak, moving closer to the trapdoor, Frodo turned off the invisibility spell he had over him and Aria. They were still holding hands and while they gave embarrassed blushes, Frodo remembered what was going on and led Aria straight to the trapdoor. They released as soon as Ron opened the trapdoor hatch. The hole below was covered in thick darkness.

Passing the flute to Hermione, Harry lowered himself into the hole until only his fingers held the sides. He explained to Ron, Frodo and Aria, “If anything happens to me, don’t follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?”

“Right,” said Ron.

“See you in a minute, I hope…” and Harry plunged into the darkness.

Frodo waited for a sign that Harry was all right. The moments ticked by. Aria was trembling with fear and concern. What if something happened to Harry? What did she remember reading? Harry dived into the hole and…

Harry’s voice was heard from somewhere below: “It’s okay! It’s a soft landing, you can jump!”

Ron followed without question. He certainly didn’t want to stay up in the room with Fluffy. Frodo gently touched Aria’s arm, making her jump a bit from the silence, broken by the dog’s growling.

“Aria, you go next,” said Frodo. “It’s okay.”

It was the encouragement she needed. Even though she was afraid, Aria moved into the hole on the other side that Ron and Harry took. She gave Frodo one last concerned gaze, while Frodo gave her in exchange a reassured glance. Aria let go, disappearing into the hole. Now it was Frodo’s turn to be concerned. For a few moments, he didn’t hear any news until…

“Frodo, come down here! It’s safe!” called Aria, her voice bellowing.

Concluding that Aria’s was all right, Frodo leapt into the hole. He fell down, down, deeper into the hole until… FLUMP! Frodo had landed on something soft and plantlike. He was also a foot or two away from Aria. She was fine for the most part and relieved that the plant broke her fall.

Harry called to Hermione next. Hermione stopped playing the flute. Fluffy barked, but it was too late for him: Hermione had already jumped, landing next to Harry. But Hermione darted away from the plant before it could get to her. Harry, Ron, Frodo and Aria weren’t so lucky, as the snakelike tendrils from the plant wrapped around their legs tightly without their notice. Although Hermione managed to free herself, when she called to her four friends they struggled to break free. The plant wound around them more due to this.

“Stop moving, all of you!” Hermione ordered them, “This is Devil’s Snare.”

“That’s a great help, Hermione,” said Ron.

“What do we do?” squealed Aria, freaking out.

“Hermione, do something,” cried Frodo.

“I’m thinking!” said Hermione. Then she remembered Professor Sprout’s words: “Devil’s Snare, Devil’s Snare – it likes the dark and damp –” Then she remembered. Pulling out her wand, Hermione cast bluebell flames at the plant.

The snakelike tendrils loosened their grip on Harry, Ron, Frodo and Aria. The four scrambled to get away, dashing towards Hermione without a second thought. Frodo had to grab Aria, as she had fallen into a bit of a daze. But then the plant retaliated and grabbed Aria’s wrist. Frodo used his hand magic on the plant, shooting the fire-making spell at it. Once again, the snakelike tendrils loosened, causing Frodo and Aria to scramble towards Hermione. Glad to be safe from the plant, Frodo checked Aria’s wrist, which was reddened from where the plant got her.

“Here. I’ll heal that,” said Frodo, clamping his hand on her wrist. From his hand came purple light, which flowed on Aria’s tiny wrist. When the purple light stopped, Frodo released Aria’s wrist, allowing her the chance to massage it. The red bruise was healed, as if it was never there.

However, Aria still felt pain. She said to him, “Thanks Frodo.”

“You’re welcome,” said Frodo, grinning at her. He said to Hermione next, “And we really need to thank you for remembering Incendio. It helped us.”

“Yes, well…” Hermione was cut off by a fiery, liquid sound in the near distance. “Do you hear that?” She wasn’t the only one, as the others heard the sound too. “What is that?”

“Sounds like lava,” said Harry.

“We haven’t been near lava,” said Ron.

“Let’s find out what that is,” said Frodo, taking Aria’s hand and leading her down a stone passageway.

In truth, the stone passageway was their only way forward. Harry, Ron and Hermione pressed on after Frodo and Aria. They were just as curious to know where the lava was coming from. The passageway ended, allowing them to enter a large room with a black rock floor, covered in white spots here and there. The rock felt smooth and crusty, yet it stayed hard under their feet. Before them was a large part of the floor replaced by a flowing river of lava going in a horizontal direction. The next stone passageway was beyond that. There was no way to cross the lava river.

“How do we cross this?” asked Hermione, as she and the others stopped in the middle of the room.

“Well, let’s have a look…” Frodo was about to pull out his wand, but found he could not. His wand wasn’t with him. “Where’s my wand?”

“Did you drop it?” asked Ron.

“No,” said Frodo. He recovered, “At least, I don’t think I did.”

Hermione checked her own pocket. She gasped, “My wand’s gone, too! It’s not there! I know I had it with me.”

“So is mine,” said Harry and Ron together.

“What do we do now?” asked Aria. She didn’t have a wand, and yet she didn’t know if she had any magical powers or not. All she could do was wait for the others to decide what they should do next.

“Well…” Frodo was unable to continue. What stopped him were two ghosts that entered the room from the drain pipes in front of them.

Aria asked, innocently, “Maybe they’re friendly. Frodo?”

However, Frodo drew another conclusion. “I don’t think they are.” Actually, he was terrified that the ghosts might hurt them. They certainly were not there to make their lives pleasant, or at least that was Frodo’s conclusion.

“How do we get past?” asked Hermione.

Just then, the two ghosts zipped towards them. Hermione and Harry were pushed to the floor by the specters. Ron stayed his ground, sticking his fists into the air in preparation for a fight. Aria didn’t want to be hit, and cowered in the process. Frodo, though he was nervous, remembered the plant. Of course, this was one of the teachers’ challenges! Collecting himself, Frodo took a few steps forward. He would confront the ghosts.

“What do you want?” asked Frodo to the ghosts, hoping they would communicate.

The ghosts paid no heed to him, nearly toppling him over on his own feet.

Ron had an idea. “Frodo, I think you’re going to have to defeat the ghosts. You’re the only one among us who knows how to perform hand magic. Try a spell on the ghosts.”

“Yes,” said Hermione, standing up. “That’s very possible.”

“Okay,” said Frodo. He opened his hands and said the incantation, “ _Lumos Solem!_ ” Raising his hands, spreading them out around the room from where he stood, Frodo attacked the ghosts with the spell.

The spell worked! The two ghosts retreated back into their drain pipes, not coming out as Frodo struck them again with the spell. The floor moved above the lava river, forming a wide, flat path to the next stone passageway. Checking the path, Frodo found it to be thick enough and safe to walk on. He gestured forward:

“Go on ahead of me,” said Frodo to his friends.

Harry, Ron and Hermione crossed the chasm in a walk. Aria followed, and bringing up the rear was Frodo. Frodo checked one final time about the room, but the ghosts didn’t come out again. Relieved, Frodo followed the others down the stone passageway. The last thing Frodo, Harry, Ron and Hermione checked was their pockets. To their delight, their wands had reappeared, in the exact same spot where they left it.

The next chamber was filled with jeweled birds. Harry corrected them all by informing them the birds were keys, which he guessed one of them fitted into the door. Harry also spotted broomsticks. Aria quickly drew her own conclusion, mainly out of fear:

“Eh… why don’t you four go on and catch the key.”

“Afraid of heights, Aria?” asked Ron.

Aria nodded, saying nothing in exchange. But then, she didn’t have to. Her message was loud and clear.

Frodo said to Aria, “Look, hobbits are afraid of heights, too. I’m mastering my fear, but… you don’t have to fly with us if you don’t want to.”

“Even though this is interesting,” said Aria, pointing out. “However, I’m a Muggle. I wouldn’t be able to fly on a broom, but I seriously wish I could.”

Harry told Frodo, “Let’s go and find that key.” He grabbed a broomstick and flew into the air.

Frodo gave Aria a longing expression. He wanted to stay on the ground with her; however, finding that key was more important right now. Aria’s encouragement did snap Frodo out of his reverie. Right, he needed to find the key. Grabbing a broomstick, Frodo mounted it and soared into the air after the others. Aria waited on the ground below, but she too hoped they would find the broken key and fit it into the lock. This part of the adventure always made her nervous, but also fascinated.

Although Ron and Hermione did their best to catch keys, Frodo and Harry knew they were looking for something else. That was when they spotted a silver key with blue wings; only one of the wings was broken. Ron and Hermione moved into position, as Harry instructed, but the key darted past them. Frodo gave chase after the key, but it was Harry who caught it. Frodo stopped looking and flew down to join Aria, relieved the task was complete and he didn’t have to catch anything. Harry, Ron and Hermione climbed down after Frodo, Harry with key in hand.

Aria asked Frodo, “Happy to be on the ground?”

“Delighted,” said Frodo, smiling.

There was a click, which followed with the key flying away, more battered than it had been earlier. Harry asked his friends, pressing on the handle, “Ready?”

“Yeah,” said Frodo, nodding.

Aria, Ron and Hermione nodded in silence. With a pull, Harry opened the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because this chapter would have been too long, I’ve split up this sequence into two chapters. So, we’ll get the conclusion of Frodo, Harry, Ron, Hermione and my journey into the Chambers to find the Sorcerer’s Stone in the next chapter.


	49. Unexpected Encounters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is the second part of Frodo, Harry, Ron, Hermione and my journey to find the Stone. :) Again, ideas were given to me by DoctorWhovian18 and Frodo. :)

When they entered the next chamber, Frodo could hardly see a thing. But when he, Aria, Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the chamber, it lit up to reveal a huge chessboard with giant chessmen. The chessmen on their side were made from black stone, while the chessmen on the opposite side were carved out of white stone. Frodo had this bad feeling he and his friends would have to play a game, like regular chess, in order to advance to the next room.

He was right. Just like that, it was Ron’s turn to take charge: he told Harry to take the place of the bishop and Hermione the castle on the queen’s side. Ron decided he would be a knight. He then turned to Frodo and Aria:

“Frodo, you take the other bishop. Aria, you’ll be the king’s side castle,” said Ron.

Aria admitted, “I’ve never played chess.”

“That’s okay, Aria,” said Frodo.

“You’ll learn now,” said Ron.

As it happened, a knight, both bishops and both castles turned their backs on the white pieces and left the board. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Frodo and Aria took their places. Ron instructed them that white always moves first. On cue, a white pawn moved forward two spaces.

Ron directed the black pieces. Eventually, he instructed Harry, Hermione, Frodo and Aria to move where he sent them, taking out white pieces as they went. Twice he nearly put his four friends in danger. With luck on his side, Ron told his four friends to move to a different spot, right on time. It was a brutal game and they were nearly there. However, the white queen turned her faceless gaze at Ron. These white pieces gave no mercy. Ron knew what he had to do:

“The queen has to take me,” said Ron.

“NO!” shouted Harry and Hermione.

Aria cried, “Ron!”

“That’s chess, guys! You have to make sacrifices,” said Ron, exclaiming. “Once I’m taken, Harry can checkmate the king. Do you want to stop Snape from getting that Stone or not? It’s the only way.”

Frodo said nothing, but nodded. He didn’t want to lose a friend, especially not to this brutal game of chess. And yet he couldn’t see any other way of getting out of this chamber.

Ron told them, “Now when you’ve won, don’t hang around. Just head on. Here I go.” He step forward one space. Once he was done, the white queen pounced, smacking him across the head. Ron remembered nothing except throbbing pain…

The white queen moved Ron’s limp body over to the side. Hermione screamed, as did Aria, and yet the two girls remembered not to move. It was really hard for Aria to do so, but when she tried to move, she jumped as Frodo stopped her:

“ _Aria, stay where you are!_ ” cried Frodo at the top of his lungs.

Harry moved forward three spaces to his left, straight towards the king. The second he was standing before the white king, Harry checkmated it. The king threw down his crown at Harry’s feet. They won the game. The chessmen bowed and parted on either side of the room. The door to the next chamber was open.

Hermione asked Harry, “Is Ron all right?”

Frodo and Aria ran up to Harry and Hermione. They were just as eager to learn about Ron’s fate. Frodo already guessed that Ron would be all right.

Harry said, “He’ll be fine.”

“He’s been knocked out,” said Frodo.

Harry told his friends, “Come on. Let’s go. We’ve got to find Snape.”

Harry, Hermione, Frodo and Aria gazed at Ron’s unconscious form for a moment. It was time for them to move on. They darted towards the door, pulled it open and climbed up through the next passageway.

“So what’s next?” asked Harry.

Hermione answered, “The Devil’s Snare was Sprout’s –”

Aria said, “Cherryhill must have caused the next room to be filled with ghosts. The only way to get past that was –”

Frodo replied, “Hand magic. I nearly forgot Professor Cherryhill was my instructor.”

Hermione continued, “Flitwick came next, and he must have charmed the keys; McGonagall transfigured the chess to make them that big and alive. All that’s left is Quirrell’s troll and Snape’s…”

“And whatever my instructors in the Authors and Authoresses’ Chamber did here,” said Aria, speaking rapidly. She hoped the others would understand her.

“What?” asked Harry, confused. By then, he and his friends reached another door. He asked them, “Ready?”

“Go on,” said Hermione.

Opening the door, Harry, Hermione, Frodo and Aria came across a troll. Only the troll didn’t stir. Their nostrils flared from the strong odor the troll gave.

“Look, he’s unconscious,” said Hermione, whispering.

Harry sighed in relief. He whispered back, “I’m glad we don’t have to face this one. Let’s go.” Pulling on the door, he allowed Hermione, Frodo and Aria to go in before him. The door closed by itself as Harry joined his three friends into the next room.

There was nothing frightening in the next room. However, standing in a line on the table, in the center of the room were seven differently shaped bottles. There was a roll of paper, which Hermione figured out that three of the bottles were poison, two were wine, one would safely get them through the black fire, and one would get them back through the purple. Hermione guessed right that it was the small bottle, admitting also this was Snape’s challenge. It was Harry who made the observant statement:

“There’s only enough for three of us,” said Harry.

“And I’m a big drinker… well, on pumpkin juice, other juice, milk, and water,” admitted Aria, sheepishly.

Frodo suggested, “In that case, we’ll let Aria drink last. So she doesn’t waste it.”

“Which bottle will take you back?” asked Harry.

Hermione pointed at the rounded bottle at the end of the line.

Harry suggested that Hermione go back and gave her specific instructions on what to do next. Aria was nervous about going onto the next chamber. She knew what would happen when they encountered… no, she couldn’t think it. Harry and Frodo snapped Aria out of her terror, as best they could:

“Aria, you have yet to prove yourself, as we all have,” said Harry.

“Come on,” said Frodo. “Aria, look at me. We only have two more chambers, and when we reach the last chamber, we’ll find the Stone. Please help us with this.”

Aria nodded rapidly. She didn’t know what would happen next. Hopefully, things would go well for them, but she doubted this. With everyone agreeing to the plan, Hermione wrapping her arms in a see-you-soon embrace to Harry, Aria, and Frodo. Hermione took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, admitted the potion was like ice and, after a pressing order from Harry, dashed through the purple flames.

Now that Harry, Frodo and Aria were alone, Harry took a gulp and passed the bottle to Frodo. He made it through the black flames without being hurt. Once through and finding the next room, Harry called to his friends, “I’m through. It’s all right. You can come in.”

Frodo drank his fill, which was a short gulp, before he passed the bottle to Aria. Frodo darted through the black flames, vanishing through them as well. It was Aria’s turn. Her ankles trembled, yet she bravely drank down the rest of the potion. Setting the bottle on the table, where it was, Aria charged towards the black flames. Slowly, Aria passed through the flames, seeing darkness for a few seconds until she was on the other side.

The next room was filled with blue flames on the walls, which changed slowly to different colored flames. On the other end of the room was a passageway, sealed by a watery mirror, which reflected back at them. On the floor was a large board filled with capital letters inside a large box. Before their feet were a group of words. The board didn’t look dangerous or frightening. Next to Aria was a podium with a roll of parchment that read:

_A word search can be many things, but dangerous is not the term here._   
_This is a challenge meant for wits, creativity, and a clever mind._   
_Should you find the time to examine this puzzle, the choice is yours to decide._   
_Below are letters for you to solve, that change depending on the player._   
_Simply step onto the board with the words to solve to begin._   
_Your journey shouldn’t be too difficult to decipher._   
_If you find the incorrect word, don’t be alarmed. Try again._   
_The more words you get right, the more time you spend in here._   
_Only one word will lead you to your journey’s end._

“Oh Templeton, always with your word games,” said Aria to herself.

Harry and Frodo asked, “Whose Templeton?”

Aria faced them with a look that made them seem crazy. Yet she answered with candor, “Professor Templeton is my creative writing teacher. Well, one of them. He’s fascinated with words. This must be his challenge. Lucky for me, I know how to do word searches.” Staring at the challenge note again, Aria realized what they needed to do. “We’ll need to find the correct word, which I assume is a golden word. What we need to do first is step onto the board.”

Harry and Frodo did so first before Aria. When Aria finally stepped on the board herself, the words at the bottom changed to a couple of words. One two word pronouns caught her notice: _Sorcerer’s Stone_. Before Frodo and Harry did anything, Aria instructed them, “We’ll need to find the correct words. Since this is the word we need to find,” she pointed at the pronoun for the Stone, “it will help us get out of here. I think we’ll need to run across in order to do it. But I should tell you both that if we get more incorrect words wrong, we’ll be stuck here longer.”

“We don’t have time! Snape could have the Stone now!” Harry cried, feeling the pressure for time on.

Frodo relaxed him with his words. “Let’s just figure out how to solve this, Harry.” He added, in a mumble towards Harry, even though he knew Aria could hear him, “We don’t want to risk alarming Aria. She’s sensitive.”

“Sorry,” said Harry, sheepish.

Aria said, gently, “Thank you, Frodo.” She pointed out, “With word searches, you have to scan the word box. Finding words in word searches can be tricky to find, but some will be easy. This is logical, but as I’ve said this is easy. I can do these in a few minutes.”

Harry and Frodo said nothing. They allowed Aria to talk freely and aloud, as she had a habit of doing that to get her thoughts out. It didn’t take long for Aria to find the word. She said, enlightened:

“Ah ha! The word is diagonal, starting here,” said Aria, pointing to the large ‘E’ and moving her hand all the way up to the ‘S’ at the top of the word search. She admitted, “At least the words are spread out.” She took her place on the ‘E’ and moved slowly and carefully up the diagonal from right to left. She nearly slipped up twice, and yet she was fortunate Harry and Frodo were there to guide her to where she needed to go. At last she reached the ‘S’ at the top left. When she did this, the word search faded and the letters stayed golden.

As soon as the word search kept its place, the passageway’s watery mirror turned invisible. Their reflections were no longer visible, allowing them to see the last chamber.

Harry told his friends, “Come on.”

The water was invisible to their touch. It didn’t hurt them, nor was it impassible. Harry walked through first, with Frodo following and, taking Aria by the hand, led Aria past the opening. They made it to the last chamber. To their surprise, Quirrell was there and so was Cherryhill. Quirrell was not terrified and Cherryhill did not have the slightest care for any of them.

Aria was now afraid. She knew something like this would happen. She said nothing, too afraid to face her teacher, but Harry and Frodo had plenty to say to Quirrell and Cherryhill:

As Harry spoke to Quirrell, with Quirrell paying no heed to Frodo or Aria, Frodo in turn said to Cherryhill, “How is it you’re here? I mean Snape–”

Cherryhill said, coyly, “Oh yes, Severus. That wizard hardly knows the meaning of hand magic. As for myself, no one would suspect me, thinking I was just an innocent, old codger, incapable of showing any reason to be angry, not even to hobbits. Silly fools.”

Frodo said, “I don’t understand. This whole time – I mean, you practically encouraged me to do hand magic –”

Cherryhill snapped at him. “And look at where it led you. Snooping around doesn’t give you bonus points.” She turned her gaze sharply on Aria. “And you, all quiet. Did you think that your shyness would get you anywhere? You know well enough where this leads. Why did you come down here, if at all Breuer?”

Aria tried to speak, but found she was at a loss for words. Her fear set in. “I – I –”

Cherryhill cackled. “Oh I get it. Three children intend to stop two adults with hand magic for beginners, wand-working and words. Oh, I am so terrified. But Quirrell and I have no time for this chivalry.” She faced the Mirror of Erised. As she gazed longer, she explained what she saw, “I am with Quirrell… we’re happy… and… my master is pleased with me… we’re all happy… but where is the Stone?”

As a voice broke through the air, a much deeper voice, more sinister, spoke to Cherryhill, “Wait until we are ready…”

“Yes Master,” said Cherryhill, bowing to no one.

Frodo was confused, and yet he didn’t want to know what the voice was. Quirrell snapped his fingers. Harry was set free of the ropes that bound him. Harry lied when he looked into the Mirror, upon which Quirrell took off his turban. As Quirrell did this, the deeper voice told Cherryhill:

“I want to speak to them…”

“Yes Master,” said Cherryhill.

Frodo and Aria took a few steps back, Frodo guiding Aria backwards. What happened next took them by surprise. While under Quirrell’s turban was revealed the face with red slits for eyes, chalk white skin and snakelike nostrils, what happened with Cherryhill was much worse: she transformed into a dark smoky shape. Aria tried to move, but found she couldn’t. Revealed in the smoky figure were two slits of red eyes, glaring at Frodo and Aria.

Aria asked, trembling, to the dark shape, “Who – Who are you?”

The smoky shape of a tall man said in a guttural deep voice, clear enough to hear, “I am Sauron, the Dark Lord of Mordor. This fellow,” Sauron pointed to Frodo, “destroyed my Ring in my mountain. My form in Middle-earth may be destroyed, but I intend to return with another physical form.”

“I don’t remember destroying any Ring, whether yours or otherwise,” said Frodo. He was trembling too, but he spoke with such bravery he never knew he had in him.

Sauron cackled, deep and dark. He said, coolly, “So it would seem, Frodo Baggins. My task has only just begun, starting with the much needed disguise of Professor Cherryhill, a sensible old woman or at least she was.” He turned his gaze on Frodo and Aria like a cat. “You two are standing in my way.”

Frodo said, his voice trembling, “I won’t let you do it. You won’t get past me and you certainly won’t come anywhere near Aria or Harry.”

Sauron sneered, “Harry Potter was never my target. You are, Frodo Baggins, and your authoress. Because your authoress is writing in the filler details, she too has now become a threat to me. Like you, she, this Aria Breuer, I have had an interest in. You two will either join me or… or I will end you both here and now.”

Frodo shook his head. “No.”

Sauron glared at Aria with fiery eyes, “And you?”

“No!” cried Aria, staying behind Frodo.

Sauron placed his smoky hands on his hips. “Why must we do this? Morgoth will not be pleased.” His eyelids snapped open. His anger was flushed. In one floating sweep, Sauron grabbed Frodo and Aria by their shirts, forcing them hard on the floor. He grabbed their necks next with only one hand each.

Frodo could feel a blinding white light pass over his vision. He could barely breathe… but then he heard an agonized scream from Sauron and Quirrell. Sauron released him and Aria, right as his smoky hands evaporated. Sauron tried again to attack Frodo and Aria. Frodo pressed a hand at what was Sauron’s chest and held it there. Steam came out from Sauron’s chest.

“AHHH!” Sauron screamed, moving away from Frodo and Aria.

It was too much for Aria. She fainted on the spot. Frodo, hardly knowing Sauron’s fate and unsure about the confrontation between Harry and Quirrell, could feel the tendrils of darkness overwhelm him…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it’s a shocking turn of events. But we’ll find out what really happened next chapter on Cherryhill’s fate. Ironically, Cherryhill and Quirrell both have an ‘ll’ in their last names. Also, I suspected at the beginning of the story that something was off about Professor Cherryhill. This was the result. Next chapter we’ll find out how me, Frodo and Harry are faring, after what happened here.


	50. End-of-Term Feast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And to find out what Cherryhill’s fate is, along with me, Harry, and Frodo, here is the next chapter after the situation with Sauron and Voldemort… Also, I figured there was another substitute Seeker for Ravenclaw, the same substitute Seeker that’s only mentioned in the first _Harry Potter_ book. So, I’m still sticking with this canon. :) And I hope this chapter doesn’t mirror too much of the conversations that took place in the last chapter for the first _Harry Potter_ book. It wasn’t my intention. *sheepish*

Frodo felt feverish, but not enough to cause him to become ill. No, instead he felt himself waking up, back to reality. So, he hadn’t died? Where then-

Dumbledore stopped Frodo from moving. “Rest, Frodo. You’ve been through a lot.”

“Where’s the Stone… and Cherryhill… Sauron!” Frodo stumbled over his words.

Dumbledore nodded. “Professor Cherryhill is at St. Mungo’s Hospital, making a full recovery. She was tortured by Sauron when she came to Hogwarts. Apparently, he tried to possess her and almost succeeded.”

“So the Stone’s gone? Who had it? Where is it?” asked Frodo, alarmed.

“The Stone’s destroyed, and from what I know from Harry, you know about Nicholas Flamel. But he and his wife will live out the rest of their days, and then they will die,” said Dumbledore.

“That makes no sense,” said Frodo. It dawned on him. Of course, it made a lot better sense now than it did. He asked the Headmaster next, “How long was I out?”

“Three days, and I daresay you have catching up to do,” said Dumbledore.

“Yes sir. But Sauron is… gone, right?” asked Frodo.

Dumbledore sighed. This was not the conversation he wanted to have, “With luck, Sauron may not regain physical form. If that’s the case, we have nothing to worry about.” He went on, “But Frodo, the reason Sauron evaporated upon your and Aria’s touch is because you have something he doesn’t have. Love, Frodo, the ability to love and form friendships, bringing kindness to the world whenever you can. And that is a much better thing to have.”

Frodo sighed. “Then Professor Snape, he wasn’t the one responsible for what happened in the Chamber.”

Dumbledore shook his head. “No, and he has protected you and Aria ever since. You two are important.” Ending their conversation there, Dumbledore said, standing up, “Now, I think it is time we awaken Aria. Don’t you think?” He approached Aria, startling her in the process. Dumbledore explained as much as he could to Aria, even though she was out of it.

Frodo grinned. He was happy Aria was all right. They both were doing well.

x-x-x

Not being the first time Frodo had been in the Hospital Wing, he asked Madam Pomfrey for five minutes with his friends. With some convincing, Madam Pomfrey agreed. In rushed Sam, Merry, Pippin, Fredegar, Amy, Anne, and Abigail. The three girls held themselves back, and Frodo was glad of it. His head was still pounding, but he was happy to see them.

Pippin asked Frodo, “The whole school’s talking about it. I’d like to know the truth. What _really_ happened down there?”

Aria listened in, even though she felt a throbbing rush in her skull. Frodo explained to the group the true story with his and Aria’s encounter, first with Cherryhill and then with Sauron. Their friends listened intently; they were keen on learning every detail that transpired between Frodo and Sauron. By the time Frodo finished his story, Sam had a few things to say:

“Mr. Frodo, you should know better than to go with just you and Aria, who couldn’t protect you down there,” said Sam.

However, Frodo was fed up hearing this statement. He spoke calmly, even though his voice tensed up, “Sam, I’ve already heard people tell me this about Aria, but Aria is doing well. Sure, she’s learning to get out of her shell – my time with her down in the Chambers was the first time she stood up for her and wanted to do something exciting, adventurous and, yes, scary – all I’m saying is give her a chance. She’ll come around.”

At that, Sam apologized to Aria, “I’m very sorry, Miss Aria. I did not know people were telling you things like this.”

“It is okay, Sam,” said Aria, gently. “I’m just glad Frodo’s all right.”

“I am,” said Frodo.

Merry said, “Well, the points are tallied and Slytherin has won. Gryffindor still got beat by Ravenclaw because they had another substitute Seeker to play when you and Jeremiah couldn’t. Gryffindor got beat badly.”

Madam Pomfrey intervened, in her strict voice, “You’ve had fifteen minutes, all of you. NOW GET OUT!”

Frodo and Aria’s group of friends waved goodbye to them. They departed the Hospital Wing fast, not wanting to see an angry Madam Pomfrey. Frodo laughed. He couldn’t help it. The scene was hilarious, due to Merry and Pippin pretending to be innocent, which didn’t work. The two hobbits zipped out of the Hospital Wing before Madam Pomfrey drove them out again.

o-o-o

Frodo slept peacefully and awoke the next day feeling a little more like himself. He asked Madam Pomfrey, as she went towards him and adjusted his sweets, “Can I go to the feast?”

Madam Pomfrey said, “Dumbledore says you, Mr. Potter and Miss Breuer are allowed to go. And you have another visitor… actually, two.”

Fred and George burst into the Hospital Wing. They advanced on Frodo, happy to see him.

Fred told Frodo, cheery, “Frodo, there you are! We’ve been wondering when you’d turn up!”

“You feeling better, Frodo?” asked George.

Frodo nodded. He was delighted to see them. “I couldn’t be better, after what happened.”

Fred said, “In that case, we have a gift to present to you.”

George added, “Although we won’t be seeing each other until September…”

“This gift is one I think you’ll like,” said Fred, passing to Frodo a small plastic tree frog.

Frodo laughed giddily at the present. It reminded him of Pippin, but he understood why Fred and George were giving him this. Using his hand magic, Frodo made the tree frog come alive, but also made sure the tree frog stayed in his hand. As a joke, Frodo showed it to Aria.

Aria’s first reaction was a yelp. She was startled when she saw the tree frog and also afraid to touch it.

Frodo chuckled, but decided to help Aria with her fear. “It’s all right, Aria. I made this tree frog come alive. He’ll stay in my hand. He was a plastic toy. Come here and touch it.”

Aria said, nervous, “I – don’t know if I should –”

Frodo said, “Aria, after facing Sauron, I think we can handle a little tree frog.” He pulled her hand closer to his, where the tree frog was kept. In a couple of efforts, Frodo allowed Aria to stroke the tree frog’s backside in a gentle fashion. Frodo was impressed when Aria got the hang of it. “See? Not so terrifying.”

Aria admitted, peering at the tree frog in Frodo’s open hand, “He looks kind of cute.”

Frodo grinned. He shushed Fred and George, as they chuckled giddily. Frodo returned his gaze to Aria, telling her, “To each his or her own, right?”

Aria glanced up at him. The fear she had before was now going away. She could handle animals, but some she was still afraid of getting close to. Frodo understood how she felt, even when she admitted it to him. Frodo could tell Aria was learning, and that was good for her. Good for both of them.

x-x-x

Frodo and Aria followed Harry to the Great Hall that night. After Madam Pomfrey’s fussing about with them for one last checkup, and no surprise to Aria, the Great Hall was already full. Stares were made as the trio entered the hall. Harry gave a small see-you-later to Frodo and Aria as he approached the Gryffindor table. Frodo and Aria took their places at the Ravenclaw table, slipping in next to Folco. Harry, Frodo and Aria were doing their best to ignore the stares of people standing up and looking at them.

Dumbledore arrived moments later. The silence came as he gave his end-of-year speech: “Another year gone! And now the house point ceremony begins. In fourth place, Gryffindor with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has three-hundred and seventy-six; and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two.”

The Slytherin table erupted with cheers and applause. Even Lotho was smiling, happy that his authoress, Misty Rodgers – a Muggle girl with a terrifying fascination for Lotho – was there to see him celebrate his victory. Lotho gave a snooty grin at the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. He was ecstatic that he beat Frodo Baggins at his own game. Oh happy day it was for him… well evening.

“Yes, yes, well done Slytherin,” said Dumbledore. “However, recent events must be taken into account. And I have a few last minute points to award.”

Silence fell across the Great Hall. Various whispers and curious stares, from students and staff alike, swept across the room; their gazes were set on Dumbledore.

Dumbledore continued, “First, to Mr. Ronald Weasley… for the best played game of chess that Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points.”

Gryffindor table erupted in cheers. However, a few cheers could be heard from Ravenclaw table from Frodo and Aria. Sam also cheered from Hufflepuff table, but he was the only hobbit doing so, if not the only Hufflepuff at the current time. Ron’s face went purple with embarrassment and excitement. Even Percy was boasting over Ron’s victory against McGonagall’s chess set.

Dumbledore said next, “Second, to Miss Hermione Granger… for the use to cool logic against the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points.”

Gryffindor students were beside themselves. Hermione even sank her head in her arms. Harry suspected she was crying, but he felt assured it was out of joy. Frodo clapped again for his friends. So Gryffindor was taking the lead. Surely Ravenclaw…

Dumbledore went on, “Third – to Mr. Harry Potter…” there was a deafening silence around the room. “…for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points.”

Frodo asked Aria, “What happened to Ravenclaw?”

Aria shrugged. She didn’t know if Dumbledore would give Ravenclaw points.

Dumbledore raised his hand, causing the room to fall silent. He said: “Fourth – to Miss Aria Breuer…” there were loud whispers throughout the room. Dumbledore continued, “…for quick thinking and a clever mind with word puzzles, I award Ravenclaw house thirty points.”

Ravenclaw table cheered. Aria couldn’t help grinning. She did something unexpected and reaped the benefits. Her embarrassment didn’t hide the smile she had. Frodo applauded her, grateful that Aria took part in something. Even the authors and authoresses from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw cheered Aria on.

Dumbledore said: “Fifth – to Mr. Frodo Baggins…” there was dead silence. He added, “…for pure love and a well-dealt hand at hand magic, I award Ravenclaw house fifty points.”

Ravenclaw students were astounded. They had won their lost points back and more, but they were still behind in points for the house cup. Would they surpass Slytherin and what of Gryffindor? So far, Gryffindor and Slytherin were tied for the house cup.

“There are all kinds of courage,” said Dumbledore, smiling. “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Folco Boffin…” Just when Ravenclaw thought they had the house cup, Dumbledore added, “…and Mr. Neville Longbottom.”

Cheers exploded in the room. Folco and Neville were stunned. Folco wouldn’t have imagined his bravery, in the face of Frodo and Aria’s nighttime wandering, would lead to Ravenclaw being second for the house cup. Gryffindor was ecstatic, but then so was Ravenclaw. Both houses had made the effort of surpassing Slytherin. Frodo pointed out to Aria the look on Lotho and Misty’s horrified faces.

Aria whispered in Frodo’s ear, “You should put them in a sleeper spell.”

Frodo whispered back, “I might do more than that, Aria.”

“Which means,” Dumbledore called over the applause. Hufflepuff was even cheering on the downfall of Slytherin, “we need a little change of decoration.” He clapped his hands. The green and silver banners, with the serpent symbol of Slytherin, transformed into banners of scarlet and gold, with the lion symbol of Gryffindor. Dumbledore announced, “Gryffindor wins the house cup.”

There was much applause and shaking hands. Aria felt a little depressed that Ravenclaw didn’t win the house cup, but she told herself that this was fine. Ravenclaw would try again next year. Still, it was a small blow for Ravenclaw house. And yet, no one minded because everyone was cheering on Harry, Merry, Pippin, Fredegar and other Gryffindors. Frodo shook Harry’s hand in congratulations.

Frodo was glad everything worked out in the end. He would sleep peacefully that evening, looking forward to the dawn. He was grateful his lost points for Ravenclaw were redeemed. He would enjoy this evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize there were similarities to the first Harry Potter book in this chapter, and I hope I didn’t mirror the conversations too much before the end-of-term feast. Still, I hope everyone liked this chapter and are looking forward to the last few chapters of this story. We’re nearing the end. I can tell. :)


	51. Hogwarts Express to London

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, and I forgot this previous chapter, but LOTCR was curious about Lotho’s Authoress. Now that we know who she is, I want to thank her for this idea and a suggestion for this chapter. :) Also, coming up this chapter is a little idea given to me by DoctorWhovian18 and Frodo. And also, it’s the last chapter because I knew I could expand this till the end. :)

With all the excitement, Frodo and Aria nearly forgot their exam results would come. And yet they did. When Frodo and Aria were handed their result papers, Aria was squealing in excitement. It was obvious to Frodo that she passed.

Aria said, giddily, “I got all As and Bs. Good thing it’s writing, but still…” Turning the attention off from her for a moment, Aria asked Frodo, “How well did you do?”

Frodo shrugged. “I did all right.”

“No really?” asked Aria, still on the edge of her seat in excitement.

Frodo chuckled. Of course he would tell the truth to her. “I passed with flying colors. It seems Snape liked my work after all.”

Aria nodded. She gave him her congratulations. “Well done, Frodo. Well done.”

It was indeed, not just Frodo but every hobbit attending Hogwarts did well on their exams. Even Lotho passed, allowing him to go on to second year. Frodo was alarmed, but he calmed himself down quickly, telling himself that he couldn’t have everything he wanted.

But the hobbits weren’t the only ones that passed. So did the authors and authoresses. Abigail jumped up and down with cheery joy. Amy was with her, squealing in delight. It would mean that she would spend more time with Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin. Anne was mellow about her grades, and yet she was happy. It meant to her that she would be able to help get Sam out of his shell during their second year. The only authoress everyone in Slytherin was annoyed by was Misty Rodgers, who also passed. Aria huffed, but she was reminded by Frodo they often couldn’t have their way in life. Still, Aria hoped something would happen to both Lotho and Misty.

o-o-o

Much preparation went into the end-of-year party in the Authors and Authoresses’ Chamber. It was a yearly celebration for them, even though they had a decade away from Hogwarts. Still Professor Templeton wanted to make this the best end-of-year party for both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw authors and authoresses.

Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin pitched in as well. Frodo wanted to make sure Aria was doing well, keeping an eye on her as often as he could. After the end-of-term feast, Merry and Pippin went back to teasing Frodo and Aria. This time, Aria didn’t mind that they were picking on her, as she teased them back. The whole matter ended in a laughing fit on either side. Frodo was happy for Aria and looked forward to the end-of-year party. However, Frodo also asked Professor Templeton for his friends to have a separate room where he and his friends could celebrate their own little end-of-year party. Professor Templeton agreed.

When the party commenced, Frodo made sure to invite Harry, Hermione and the Weasley brothers. As the party went on in the larger room, Frodo led his friends into the smaller antechamber. All around the antechamber were streamers and hanging lanterns covering the ceiling. Food and drinks were on two tables. And of course, all of Frodo’s friends had made it to this small friendship party.

Fred and George said in unison, “You went too far.”

Aria popped some confetti from a confetti shooter. She jumped at the blast, giving an embarrassed smile due to what she just done. She set the confetti device down at the end of one of the tables. Making a quick recovery, Aria said, “Welcome to the End-of-Year Party!”

Fred told her, “And what a grand entrance it is.”

“It’s a shame we didn’t pull any pranks, Fred,” said George.

“You’re right, George,” said Fred, a mischievous grin on his face.

As Ron went towards the punch bowl, a party paper snake leapt out of the bowl. Ron jumped back, startled. A few of his friends laughed at this display. He suspected his brothers had a hand on the prank, but no… Ron turned his gaze to Frodo. Frodo was looking all too innocent. Shaking his head, Ron said, “Great. I see you haven’t lost your pranking skill, Frodo.”

Frodo said, “Nope.” He replied with, “Happy End of the Year, Ron.”

“Ha ha, very funny,” said Ron, not amused.

George told his younger brother, “Lighten up, Ron. At least we didn’t prank you.”

“No indeed,” said Percy. “But do give Ron credit. He did defeat McGonagall’s chess set.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean we’ll still prank him,” said George.

“Because you know, we will,” said Fred.

Another paper snake shoot in the air, straight at Harry. Harry moved, startled, as the snake bopped him in the chin. Hermione couldn’t help giggling at the sight.

Sam was peeved. He declared to all his friends, “If I see one more snake shooter, I’ll –” He was cut off as two more paper snakes shoot right at him, in both directions. Sam glared at Merry and Pippin, who were laughing. “Oh, you think that’s funny, do you?”

Pippin said, acting innocent, “Why not, Sam? We’re allowed to have fun now. So should you.”

“Gryffindor won the house cup,” said Merry.

Sam rubbed his temple. “Yes, I know. You keep boasting about it.”

Pippin shot another snake shooter into the air, just for fun. Sam shot a glare at him, hoping the hobbit would stop this nonsense. Pippin shot a third snake into the air just to annoy Sam, only the snake bopped Frodo on the head. Frodo turned his gaze to Pippin, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Pippin, may I ask what that was for?” asked Frodo.

Pippin said, pretending to be innocent, “Oh nothing, Frodo. I just wanted to admire you from way over here.”

Abigail let out a laugh, sputtering out her punch. This caused Amy to laugh, due to the random reaction.

Fredegar said to the group, “Well, for what it’s worth, I’ve had a pleasant time.”

Anne said, “Oh you have, have you?” Taking a cardboard roll, Anne bopped Fatty on the top of the head.

Rubbing his head, Fredegar asked Anne, surprised at her, “What was that for?”

Anne told him, serious, “For not doing anything, while Frodo and Aria were down in the Chambers. All you care about is work.”

Fredegar said, “I want to pass my classes.”

Folco said, “Ha! You already passed your classes and you’re still gabbing about it.”

“Hey, there’s always our second year,” said Fredegar. He was received by loud groans from his friends. Fatty asked them, confused, “What did I do now?”

Aria told all her friends present, “Let’s just concern ourselves with this party. All right. We can think about next year when we get there. For now, let’s have fun.” She was received by a round of applause, including from Folco.

Hermione accepted this statement. “I have to agree with Aria.”

“That’s surprising,” said Ron. He was annoyed when Hermione protested, giving him a lecture on why school and studying was important to their education. Ron looked at Harry for help, but Harry just mediated between his friends.

As for the rest of this small party, Frodo could admit he enjoyed himself. There weren’t many pranks, but it was still good. And yet, Frodo couldn’t help but want to prank a Slytherin or two. He knew exactly which ones to prank and when to prank them.

o-o-o

Wednesday moved in a blur. Lotho accompanied Misty back to the Authors and Authoresses’ Chamber. He was becoming quite acquainted with his authoress. They went well together. Nothing would change…

Frodo bumped into him. He apologized, “Oh, excuse me Lotho, Misty.”

Lotho tapped his foot. Frodo would pay for this insult. “Well…”

“Well, bye!” said Frodo, darting down the corridor.

Misty moved a curly brown tendril out of her face. She told Lotho, “Maybe Baggins should learn to mind his place from now on.”

Lotho was stunned. He admitted, aloud, “That’s what I keep saying! Thank you, Misty. You understand how I feel. I…” However, when he reached into his pocket…

SPLOSH! Lotho and Misty grimaced in disgust. They were covered in green slime and other muck from a mini-swamp device. Lotho was upset now:

“Frodo Baggins, you will pay for this! Next year, I know you will!” shouted Lotho.

Misty squealed in disgust, “Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew, ew, ew…” The mantra continued.

Over in the corner of the corridor, Frodo chuckled to himself in delight. It was fun to prank Lotho from time to time. Frodo ran down the corridor, happy with himself. Lotho would try to get back at him, but Frodo knew things were turning out well for him.

o-o-o

On June 20th, wardrobes were empty, trunks were packed and students were handed notes, warning them not to use magic at home. Frodo followed the other first years down to the boats, where Hagrid was waiting for them. Frodo would miss Hogwarts, but he knew he had only two-and-a-half months before he returned to the school. As the boats skimmed across the glass-like surface of the Black Lake, Frodo peered at the castle for the last time. His first year at Hogwarts was over.

Frodo boarded the Hogwarts Express, searching for a compartment where he would be free from people celebrating and making him famous for the first time in his life. Aria called him into an empty compartment. Joining them soon after was Sam, Merry and Pippin. Fatty and Folco had chosen to find a compartment all their own, or rather chose to wander the corridors in search of people to talk to, which mainly involved hobbits.

Frodo did have one last secret to share. Should he tell his friends? As the train left Hogsmeade Station and traveled across the countryside, Frodo burst, informing his friends, especially Sam and Aria, “I have one more secret to share with you, but you must not tell anyone else.”

Pippin made sure the compartment door was sealed. It was. He returned to his seat, eager to hear this news.

Frodo waited a moment, and then said: “I received this letter from Bilbo during lunch, on Sam’s birthday. During the time period I’m from, Sam is just born. You’re twelve now, Sam, but back home, you’re only an infant.”

There was a sudden silence in the compartment. Frodo bit his lip. Had he made a mistake? Surely this would affect the timeline.

Sam shook his head. He asked Frodo, “Why are you telling me this, Mr. Frodo?”

Frodo was stunned. “You’re not mad.”

“I would be mad if you told my younger self who I am. But no, I’m not angry,” said Sam. “I had this funny feeling you were older than me, even before we met.”

“I had that feeling, too,” said Pippin.

“Me too,” said Merry.

Frodo turned his gaze to Aria. Surely she was the same age as him. “And you?”

Aria admitted, sheepishly, “Well, where I’m from, the Third Age of Middle-earth was ages ago.” She gave her theory. “You know, I think there’s a wormhole somewhere that is causing an influx in time. How else are we all here at Hogwarts? Surely there’s a reason for it.” She informed Frodo at once, “But Frodo, it will be our job not to inform our younger selves that we already know each other. You can imagine how hard that will be.”

“I can imagine quite a lot, Aria,” said Frodo. He was nervous about coming home. Now that Sam knew… well, twelve-year-old Sam knew, as did Merry and Pippin. But how well could he keep a secret to Sam’s younger self? Maybe it was dangerous telling Sam’s younger self about these new turn of events.

Aria admitted, jokingly, “Well, Merry and Pippin, I must say your prank wars against Amy and Abigail, they were something.”

Pippin was stunned now. “You’re not mad?”

Frodo said, chuckling merrily, “Neither am I.” He told his friends that were present, “Well done this year, everyone. I cannot say it enough. But I am so proud to have such good friends.”

Aria said, shyly, “Then I am grateful to have met a friend such as you, Frodo.” She held his hand.

Frodo blushed in embarrassment. It was getting awkward again. Why did the temperature suddenly go up? This was too awkward… Frodo tore his hand away from Aria, looking about him and pretending the moment didn’t happen. Aria shook her head. Nope, nothing changed.

Merry and Pippin chuckled at the sight. Frodo grinned sheepishly their way. Yup, he was happy to have such friends that teased him.

Soon, the Hogwarts Express rolled into platform nine-and-three-quarters at King’s Cross Station. By then, Frodo and his friends had changed into their jackets, coats, and other casual clothes. As they stepped off the train, Frodo searched for Harry, Ron and Hermione. He found them and said his goodbyes for the summer holidays:

“I’ll miss you three,” said Frodo to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

“This was fun,” said Hermione.

“Yeah, we should do it again sometime,” said Ron.

“You know we will… pranking we mean,” said Fred and George in unison.

Harry looked back at the witches and wizards filing in twos and threes through the platform. Realizing it was time for his friends to go, except for the hobbits and the authoresses, Harry shook hands with Frodo. He said to him, “Goodbye Frodo. Hope to hear from you in a letter, over the summer.”

“I’ll make sure to write,” said Frodo.

“Come on. Let’s get a move on,” said Percy.

Fred and George waved at Frodo, “Till September, Frodo.”

“And to you,” said Frodo, making the greeting reply.

Then Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ron’s brothers moved their carts towards the platform, disappearing through the wall, back to the Muggle part of King’s Cross.

The hobbits and their authors and authoresses were told to stay on the platform. The authors and authoresses would be waiting for their Head of House to arrive, so they could return to the Authors’ House, the house that Frodo had heard so much about from Aria, Anne, Amy and Abigail.

Aria started rambling, talking Frodo’s ear off with excitement, “Oh Frodo, I hope you come to the Authors’ House sometime. It would be exciting to visit. I can show you around and –”

Frodo stopped her before she rambled further. He blushed as he spoke to her, “Aria, we’ll see.”

Pippin admitted, “Well, it’s obvious we won’t be able to visit you, Frodo.”

Merry added, teasing, “No, but I’m sure Aria and Frodo will have no trouble visiting each other. Right, Frodo?”

“Right,” said Frodo. He was still unsure how he would ever get to the Authors’ House. Maybe Aria would show him sometime. He just didn’t know when that would happen.

Sam pointed out his family. “Well, I must go. I’ll see you all next year.” He waved to his friends, receiving loud applause from Merry and Pippin as Sam regrouped with the Gamgees.

As they parted ways, and Aria regrouped with the other authors and authoresses’ students, Frodo was left alone. He was last again. Why then was he always last? Maybe there was a reason for it. He didn’t know. He needed to stay calm…

“Frodo,” said Primula, his mother, waving him over to the same wooden hobbit-hole door they had been using.

Frodo sped towards his parents. Parking his cart, Frodo embraced his father and mother. He didn’t want to let them go. Drogo was stunned, yet he allowed Frodo to hug him for a few more seconds.

“All right, Frodo. That’s enough,” said Drogo, a little cheekily.

Primula gave Drogo a glare, telling Drogo to settle down for a moment. Frodo released his parents, a few small tears dripping down his face. He was filled with joy. He certainly missed them.

“I’ve missed you. Both of you,” said Frodo, still grateful to see them.

Drogo changed the subject, “So, how was Hogwarts this time around? Did you make new friends? What of Aria?” The questions continued, and yet Drogo didn’t stop asking his son questions.

Primula was happy, but then so was Frodo. As they entered their hobbit-hole in Buckland, Frodo felt his old life return. All the while, he remembered his note, which said he was allowed to use magic in his home and only his home. Nowhere outside his parents’ house could he perform magic. Frodo was fine with this rule, if it meant remembering all the good times he shared with his friends, and with Aria. He would miss Aria, but he knew that he would see her again. And that was enough. It was enough for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Acknowledgements:
> 
> I would like to thank TooLazyToLogIn for her idea that started this series, involving hobbits having magical abilities.  
> To DoctorWhovian18 for her ideas on pranking, advice and just being there whenever I needed to talk to her.  
> To ValueMyHeart for reviewing, favoriting and following this story back on Fanfiction.net, when this story was still on Fanfiction.net.  
> To LOTCR for her ideas, as many as they come.  
> To my readers and fellow writers for their comments, kudos, etc. on this site, as well as reviews, favorites and followings over on Fanfiction.net.  
> And, of course, to the hobbits, as well as Harry and co., for their ideas and support, something which I've needed throughout this story.
> 
> Well, that's it. See you in my first sequel of this series, _Into The Chamber_!


End file.
